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Fantasy Sports Analysis With an EdgeWed, 23 May 2018 08:25:40 +0000http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4enhourly1Blu-ray Review: Game Nighthttp://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/22/blu-ray-review-game-night/
http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/22/blu-ray-review-game-night/#commentsTue, 22 May 2018 21:45:51 +0000Herija Greenhttp://www.rotorob.com/?p=63845McAdams and Bateman have good chemistry in Game Night.

After taking on a reboot of National Lampoon’s Vacation is their first co-directorial effort, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are working together again on Game Night. The comedy stars Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in a movie that puts a humorous spin on something reminiscent of Michael Douglas‘ film The Game.

THE PLOT

Hyper-competitive couple Max (Bateman) and Annie Davis (McAdams) enjoy a weekly game night with their friends: Kevin (Lamorne Morris; New Girl) and Michelle (Kylie Bunbury), and Ryan (Billy Magnussen) and his girlfriend of the week. Their neighbor, Gary (Jesse Plemons), was part of the group prior to his divorce, but now they find him weird and work out elaborate excuses to exclude him.

Their regular game night is thrown into disarray when Max’s highly successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler; Friday Night Lights) shows up and offers to host. When they arrive, Brooks tells them that he’s hired a company to create a murder mystery, and whoever solves it will win an expensive car he owns. Shortly after it begins, however, two people kick down the door and kidnap Brooks as everyone looks on believing it to be part of the game.

It doesn’t take them long to figure out that what’s happening is real, and that Brooks is in serious danger having run afoul of someone known simply as The Hungarian. With larger stakes than ever, Max and his friends must figure out a way to save his brother before it’s too late.

THE GOOD

While Bateman is largely playing the “I’m cooler than everyone else” role once again, his feelings of insecurity as it relates to Brooks gives him a little more vulnerability. He and McAdams have good chemistry, something that was missing in his last starring turn, Office Christmas Party, and they play off each other very well. The scene where she’s administering first aid as Bateman bites down on a squeaky toy is one of the movie’s best.

Game Night’s supporting cast is strong as well. Magnussen, fresh off his delightfully smarmy showing in Ingrid Goes West, has a lot of the best lines as the clueless Ryan that keeps bringing vapid young women as his dates. Morris and Bunbury have a fun subplot surrounding which celebrity she slept with while the two of them were briefly broken up, and Plemons plays the creepy neighbour perfectly.

One of the movie’s strengths is keeping the humour coming without becoming overly manic with the delivery. There are enough lulls to give the best jokes space to breathe, and there are a number of silly one-offs (like rich person fight club or the fertility doctor) that get played out as we go. It ends up being a very well-paced mix of clever lines and slapstick physical comedy.

THE BAD

A lot of the beats are very similar to past Bateman fare, and though we’d consider this one of the better (maybe even the best) of his comedic movies you need to at least possess some amount of affinity for Bateman. In other words, if you haven’t enjoyed his other work odds are you won’t enjoy this, either.

At around 100 minutes, Game Night feels a little long. The plot twists and turns on several occasions, and by the time we reach the last one it came across as excessive. That’s not to say there are no more laughs following said twist — like the hitman complementing McAdams’ ass — but it could’ve wrapped it up earlier.

THE BONUS FEATURES

Game Night offers little in the way of extras with a gag reel and a “making of” featurette combining to cover less than 10 minutes. There are a few funny moments from the outtakes, but there’s nothing you need to see. Then again, it’s all short so you might as well check it out.

OVERALL

While Game Night won’t go down as a great comedy it’s fun for what it is, offering up an enthusiastic cast and plenty of legitimate laughs.

​While it may not be a full-fledged sequel to Spearhead Games’ 2016 release Stories: The Path of Destinies, Omensight is most assuredly its spiritual successor. The developer once again explores the world of anthropomorphic animals while a time-travelling twist, tasking you with saving the world for an impending apocalypse.

CONTROLS (3.75/5)

There are elements of light platforming here, but the majority of your time will be spent fighting through enemies. At its core, combat is pretty straightforward hack n’ slash fare as you string together basic and heavy strikes to form combinations. Enemy attacks are tipped by the presence of exclamation points above their heads, giving you time to strike them directly or evade — do so at the right moment and time will slow briefly.

You’ll also have access to a handful of special moves, each operating on a cooldown timer. You can dash, grab and throw objects (or enemies), and create a time-slowing bubble. You’ll usually be working with a partner as well, one that can unleash a unique ability of their own that you can call forth. Some are more effective than others, though, making combat easier when you have certain companions with you.

Your last trick is the ability to collect energy from uninterrupted strikes, filling a meter as you go and allowing you to use cost-specific moves. For example, firing a projectile from your sword costs one charge, while an insta-kill attack on a single enemy costs two. It’s quite difficult to avoid the mix of melee, ranged and area attacks, though, so we rarely got more than two or three before we took damage or a fight ended and the energy drained from inactivity.

Although decent enough, the combat has a floaty feel that makes peppering enemies with strikes less satisfying than it could be. The lack of your own decent Area of Effect attack is a downer, too, elongating lesser fights by making you target everyone individually. Items like explosive barrels and collapsing pillars can sometimes be used, but we still think there should’ve been a more potent ability in your repertoire.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (3/5)

Much like its predecessor, Omensight offers up decent visuals and locations that lose their luster the more times you revisit them. The mostly fixed camera perspective downplays the simplistic nature of many areas, but it does so at the cost of some quality of life on the gameplay side. Your character has a cool design, though, and the whole thing is quite colourful.

Voice acting shades on the rough side with some bland performances from its limited cast of characters. It’s not irritatingly poor ala Fear Effect Sedna at least, and to be honest the more time you spend with them the better it sounds.

GAMEPLAY (3.75/5)

In Omensight you play as The Harbinger, a supernatural warrior dispatched to ward off the coming apocalypse. Your task is to unravel the murder of the Godless-Priestess and locate her soul, which is needed to stop Voden, the would-be destroyer of the world. To do this you’ll need to travel to the day of Voden’s arrival and follow one of four creatures that have some piece of knowledge needed to stop the event.

Initially you’ll be limited to following two characters: Draga, the Emperor’s dutiful commander, and Ludomir, a grizzled warrior intent on killing the Emperor. Eventually you’ll encounter Ratika, the leader of Rodentia (basically the resistance), and Indrik, the Emperor, and the opportunity to follow them will be unlocked.

From there you’ll bounce between the four of them, learning hints about what happened and occasionally discovering the titular “omensights.” These represent the game’s biggest moments, revealing pieces of what actually happened that you can then project into the minds of any of the four, sending them on a new path and furthering the investigation.

It’s an interesting idea, piecing together a story from multiple viewpoints, and it’s fairly well done, though heading back to the same areas eventually loses its steam — to its credit, Omensight will allow you to skip to the important event if you revisit a memory stream that, for whatever reason, you couldn’t properly complete earlier.

There are RPG elements as well, as The Harbinger will collect experience and in-game currency. The former allows you to level up and unlock new abilities (and eventually more powerful versions of said skills), and the latter is for upgrades, such as more health, additional slots for storing energy and boosting the damage your weapons inflict.

Unfortunately, the various upgrades don’t fundamentally change anything. Fighting at the start feels basically the same as fighting when completely leveled up. Sure, you have a few new tricks, but the challenge level stays marginal throughout beyond the odd boss battle.

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that the final boss is pretty annoying. Rather than spoil his various attacks and cheap tricks, let’s just stick with some presentation choices. The final area favours a pinkish hue around everything, which effectively obscures the projectiles you’re supposed to be dodging. Plus, a zoomed-in camera appears that’s not used anywhere else in game and makes gauging distance between you and the boss a little problematic.

After finishing the game you’ll be given a rundown of the four characters’ fate, and at this point they never change — an update is apparently in the works to offer a second outcome. For now, though, minus shooting for a “good” or “bad” ending there isn’t much reason to revisit.

OVERALL (3.75/5)

There’s a strong concept at the center of Omensight, and the execution is competent enough to make it a mostly enjoyable game. With a bit more polish, however, it could’ve been even better.​

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re nearly into late-May now, which means the 2018 MLB Draft is just over two weeks away. Time to start planning ahead by checking out those mock drafts and doing some scouting.

This week, Pirates’ minor league shortstop Ji-hwan Bae has headed back to his native South Korea to be questioned by police in a domestic violence investigation; Dansby Swanson (wrist) has been activated from the DL; and Jason Heyward (concussion) has also returned from the DL, saying his first concussion really opened his eyes to the dangers of this ailment.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball waiver wire recommendations, as we offer up a couple of youngsters — one of whom just got the call, and another who may get a promotion soon as well.

Frankie Montas, RP/SP, Oakland Athletics (ESPN: unowned; CBS: 1 per cent): With both Andrew Triggs and Brett Anderson going down, Oakland will need rotation reinforcements. This could be the perfect opportunity for Montas, who is already on the 40-man roster, as he’s been rolling of late. Over his last three starts at Triple-A, he’s earned one win while giving up 17 hits, four earned runs and four walks in 20 IP. Montas has 15 Ks over that stretch. It’s a stark contrast to his April struggles (0-3, 6.19 ERA), and he’s managed to trim his overall ERA to a much more serviceable 3.75 mark over 36 IP. This hard-throwing Dominican worked a career-high eight innings in his latest outing, and even if the strikeouts weren’t there, maybe that’s not a bad thing given how effective he was. He’s certainly shown strikeout potential before (see video below). Let’s see if the A’s give him a look in the rotation; Montas could surprise.

Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (ESPN: 10.3 per cent; CBS: 31 per cent): With Starlin Marte (oblique) landing on the DL, Meadows was recalled to make his long-awaited MLB debut on Friday. The rookie wasted little time making an impact, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base while playing flawlessly in centre field. Pittsburgh’s first rounder in 2013 (ninth overall), Meadows had been enjoying a solid season at Triple-A, scoring plenty of runs while racking up a decent amount of total bases. If you want him, you better move quickly.

Quick Hits

Cole Hamels, who has finally started looking more like himself over his last four starts, is now dealing with a neck woe. His Thursday start got pushed back to Saturday, and now he’s been scratched from that as well. Hamels apparently won’t go on the DL, so may take the bump on Sunday. With Texas doing awful this season, he may very well be on the trading block, and given his 2.54 ERA on the road, his value could soar with a trade. Once we’ve established his prognosis, consider making an offer for Hamels.

A back injury landed Ryan Braun on the DL on Thursday, retroactive to May 14. He’s been slumping lately (0-for-8, as part of a horrible May in which he’s just 4-for-33). Braun’s extra-base pop has slid for the second straight year, and as things stand, he’s heading for his worst year ever. Time to cut bait in shallow formats.

CC Sabathia had seemingly reached into the Fountain of Youth early on this season, but over the last two starts, it’s been more like Father Time is having his say. Sabathia was a bit wild on Friday in suffering his first loss of the season, and over his last two outing has now given up 13 hits, eight runs (six earned), two homers and four walks in nine innings. He still ranks eighth in the AL in ERA, but it’s rising fast. Sabathia may be a sell high candidate.

Josh Reddick (leg) will miss a second straight game on Saturday, giving recently-recalled Tony Kemp another chance to gain some traction. Reddick had scored a run in four straight games, but is striking out a bit more than usual lately. His extra-base power has kind of disappeared so far in May, so we don’t blame you for cutting him in shallow leagues.

Kyle Gibson has been enjoying a nice bounce-back season, but on Friday he came undone by his old bugaboos — walks and homers. He’s now fourth in the AL in walks allowed, so if he starts yielding more homers again, look out. Time to sell Gibson and hope an owner enamoured with his Ks takes a chance.

Whit Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and three steals on Friday, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. After a so-so April, he’s batting .361 in May to jack his season BA up to .300 through 170 at-bats. Merrifield’s power is down this year, but he’s fourth in the majors in steals.

There’s talk the Mets could shop Jacob deGrom if things don’t turn around (they’ve now dropped to fourth in the NL East). Can you imagine the ransom he’d command? The ace proved he was healthy Friday, earning his fourth win with seven innings of six-hit, one-run ball, while fanning 13 and walking none. After seeing his ERA rise in each of the last two seasons, deGrom is heading for a career year with a 1.75 mark (third in the NL) through nine starts and 51 1/3 IP.

Jose Martinez provided the slumping Cardinal offense with a nice jolt on Friday with four hits, including a homer, for five RBI. He’s on fire right now, going 9-for-13 over the last three games, with four runs, two doubles, a homer, six RBI and a pair of walks. Martinez is now batting .345 with 10 RBI this month, and is proving last year was no fluke as he’s spanked five homers while batting .320 through 40 games.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

]]>http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/19/the-wire-troll-frankie-montas-is-nearly-ready/feed/02018 RotoRob Top 85 Fantasy Baseball Prospectshttp://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/18/2018-rotorob-top-85-fantasy-baseball-prospects/
http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/18/2018-rotorob-top-85-fantasy-baseball-prospects/#commentsFri, 18 May 2018 21:48:05 +0000RotoRobhttp://www.rotorob.com/?p=63705
The future of the Braves has arrived in the form of Ronald Acuna. (Kim Klement-USA Today Sports)

It’s time, once again, for our annual Top Fantasy Baseball Prospects list. In this, our 14th annual list, we’ve again beefed things up things — going 85 deep for the first time. Note that these rankings represent our take on the top prospects prior to Opening Day.

This season, we’ve soared to 43 returnees (plus two more that were 2016 prospects, but dropped off the list last year only to reemerge this season) from our 2017 rankings (10 more from last year), while the number of players graduating to the bigs from last year’s Top 80 prospects rose slightly (up one to 24 this year).

Five fewer prospects fell off the list this year (13), telling us that even as we expand the list each year, we’re doing a pretty bang up job of nailing the right players.

So that means there are just 42 newcomers (down five from last season), surprising given the increase from 80 to 85 prospects this year. It seems that the trend of big league teams rushing their prospects through the system has slowed a tad, hence more returnees to the list than we’re accustomed to.

Now go get yourself a super jumbo coffee and sit down to enjoy our tome of prospects.

Last year’s rankings are in parentheses.

1. Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves (78): This Venezuelan youngster will begin the season in the minors, but is likely just a few weeks away from recall, and will be absolutely worth the wait. Acuna will instantly have an impact on the Braves’ lineup, so stash him now. Oh, did we mention he’s also got a great glove (see video below). Yup, Acuna is a five-tool prospect capable of hitting to all fields with plus raw power. UPDATE: Was promoted and is showing great power in the bigs.

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Toronto Blue Jays (44): What does Vladdy Jr. have left to prove in the minors? The son of former superstar Vladimir Guerrero, Junior’s walk-off homer in Montreal to win the Jays’ final spring tune up game was the stuff of legends — and he has yet to spend a day as a major leaguer. The only thing holding Guerrero back right now is Josh Donaldson. Be patient; you’ll be rewarded.

3. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox (11): Jimenez will begin the season at Double-A and await his opportunity to either move into a corner outfield role at Triple-A or skip the level altogether and rise straight to the majors. The former Cub prospect leads a list of Pale Hose prospects that is the envy of every major league team.

4. Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals (8): Robles will begin the season at Triple-A, but this five-tool prospect won’t be held back for long. Expect to see him in Washington at some point this season. And if Bryce Harper leaves in the offseason, Robles should step right in to that vacant spot. UPDATE: Robles has been dealing with an elbow injury for the last five weeks.

5. Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees (5): We’re still waiting to see what this youngster can do at the major league level as last year’s injury delayed his arrival in the Show. Torres will likely be a below average player this season, but his future is tremendously bright. Acquired from the Cubs a year and a half ago, he will start paying the Yankees back for that deal around 2019-20 and for years to come. UPDATE: Sure enough, Torres was promoted to the bigs in late-April and through 71 at-bats, his amazing fast transition to the bigs has been a surprise (.324 BA, which would lead the Yankees if he qualified).

6. Michael Kopech, SP, Chicago White Sox (26): Now the top pitching prospect in the game, Kopech has one hell of a heater, but needs to work on his command. Last year, he was a tad more susceptible to the long ball at Double-A. Kopech finished the season at Triple-A, where his K rate — while still superb — slipped. He’ll start there again this year and await his chance in the bigs.

7. Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros (38): Tucker struck out more often last year in High-A before moving up to Double-A, where his BA dipped. He’s trying to break in on a very deep Astro team, but he’s so talented that it’s just a matter of time.

8. Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies (10): Rodgers’ walk rate dipped significantly at High-A last year, and when he moved up to Double-A, his K rate rose quite a bit. So clearly, a bit more seasoning is in order. He’ll begin the season at Double-A, and if the Rockies’ top prospect can improve his strike zone judgment, he’ll move quickly.

9. Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds (20): Senzel’s groundball rate increased at High-A last year, and then was even more pronounced at Double-A. The Reds’ top prospect is a third baseman by nature, but at both Spring Training and at Triple-A, the team has had him work out at shortstop and second base, perhaps with a view of expediting his arrival in the majors. This is one prospect that is highly likely to make an impact in 2018. UPDATE: Senzel is on the DL while he deals with vertigo, but has already resumed baseball activities.

10. Brent Honeywell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (24): We’re going to have to wait at least another year for Honeywell to reintroduce the screwball back into the majors. He hurt his elbow this spring, necessitating Tommy John surgery that will keep him out until early next year. Honeywell announced himself as a rising star at the Futures Game last season en route to racking up a ton of Ks between Double-A and Triple-A. He remains a stellar dynasty league prospect.

11. Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians (34): Cleveland’s top prospect will open the season at Triple-A after racking up plenty of total bases at Double-A last year, earning a September promotion. Mejia failed to record an extra-base hit during his time with the Tribe, but he’s likely to see a lot more PT in the bigs this season.

12. Lewis Brinson, OF, Miami Marlins (17): This tall, lean centrefielder has now been traded twice in his young career, this winter moving from Milwaukee to Miami in the Christian Yelich deal. Brinson has major extra-base power, but can struggle to make contact. Still, his defense will keep him in a job while we wait for his bat to come around. UPDATE: Brinson remains in the bigs, but is really struggling with a sub-.170 BA.

13. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (NR): The other half of the Jays’ future left side of the infield, Bichette took some time to adjust to High-A after his promotion last year. But once he did, he really took off. Bichette is an aggressive hitter, and assuming he adjusts to Double-A fairly quickly, he’ll likely reach Triple-A by season’s end.

14. Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (NR): The Dodgers’ first round pick in 2015, Buehler worked his way through four levels last season. After recording a microscopic 1.10 ERA through five starts at High-A, he was quickly moved up to Double-A, where he continued to enjoy solid hit rates. At Triple-A, Buehler worked mostly out of the bullpen, and then was a reliever exclusively in eight appearances with the Dodgers, earning one win, but one very poor outing ruined his bottom line results. This youngster has a bright future, but will need to prove he can stay healthy after spending time on the DL in each of his professional seasons. UPDATE: Buehler was recalled to the majors in late-April, and looked great in his first four starts before enduring his first rough outing on Wednesday against the Fish.

15. Alex Reyes, SP, St. Louis Cardinals (4): Reyes missed all of 2017 in the wake of Tommy John surgery, but now that he’s nearing a return to full health, he could provide a serious boost to the Card rotation this season. He didn’t get into any Spring Training games, but was tossing bullpen sessions, indicating he’s getting close. Expect him to begin a rehab assignment at the end of April, with an eye towards joining the Cards sometime in June. UPDATE: Reyes is currently on the 60-day DL, but his rehab has started, recently sending him to Class-A.

16. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres (NR): Tatis made an impression in Spring Training before being reassigned, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long for him to ascend to the majors. The Padres are simply loaded with young talent, and given that he’ll start the season as the team’s youngest player at Double-A (at 19), it’s clear the team is not balking at moving him quickly. Yet another next generation prospect (he’s the son of Fernando Tatis, who played 11 seasons in the bigs), Tatis the junior has been well-bred in terms of what it takes to get to the Show.

17. Luis Robert, OF, Chicago White Sox (NR): A tall Cuban flyhawk, Robert hit up a storm in his first taste of organized ball last year. A thumb injury will force him to the DL to begin the season, but when he’s healthy he’ll play at High-A alongside fellow ChiSox outfield prospect Blake Rutherford (56). UPDATE: Robert remains out, but is expected to return around the end of May.

18. Triston McKenzie, SP, Cleveland Indians (53): McKenzie is a tremendous prospect, but he’ll begin the season on the DL with a forearm injury — never a good sign for a pitcher as it’s so often the precursor for Tommy John surgery. The righty is scheduled to move up to Double-A, but for now will start the season at extended Spring Training. UPDATE: McKenzie remains on the DL.

19. Forrest Whitley, SP, Houston Astros (NR): Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Dylan Bundy, Chad Billingsley — the only four high school pitchers over the last 20 years to reach Double-A in their first pro season… until Whitley joined the group last season. That gives you some idea of Whitley’s pedigree. Unfortunately, he’ll will miss the first 50 games of the season while serving a drug suspension. UPDATE: Whitley is still serving his suspension.

20. Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (6): Meadows enjoyed a nice spring, and if that continues early this season, he may force the Pirates’ hands and get the call to Steel City. Still, he missed a lot of time with injuries last year, so the Bucs may opt to play it safe (and, not surprisingly, cheap) and let him get some more Triple-A time before starting his service clock. As soon as there’s an opening for everyday playing time past June, Meadows will be summoned to the bigs.

21. Mitch Keller, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (32): Rising 11 spots from our 2017 Top Prospects rankings, Keller got over half a season’s worth of starts at High-A last year before a promotion to Double-A, where he was even harder to hit. Pittsburgh’s 2014 second round pick will begin the season back at Double-A, and if he keeps dominating, next stop will be the bigs.

22. Willie Calhoun, OF, Texas Rangers (NR): Calhoun seemed to have a chance to win the left field job in Texas this spring, but was sent down to the minors for more seasoning. The former second baseman was part of the booty Texas received for Yu Darvish, but the team felt he needed more outfield reps before being ready for the bigs. There’s no question about Calhoun’s bat, however, and while he’ll start the season at Triple-A, he’s still a serious AL ROY candidate assuming he gets the call sometime in the first half.

23. Hunter Greene, SP, Cincinnati Reds (NR): The second overall pick in last year’s draft, Greene could have easily gone first. He’s got that kind of upside. Armed with a triple-digit heater, Greene was also a superb infielder, but his future as a major leaguer is on the mound. In his very brief pro debut last year, he was lit up pretty hard, but it was a tiny sample size. Greene’s effortless delivery will have him eating up minor leaguers in no time.

24. Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota Twins (NR): And right behind Greene is last year’s No. 1 pick, Lewis. After racking up a goodly amount of total bases in Rookie ball, Lewis was promoted to full season ball and proved productive — as an 18-year-old. With little to block him at High-A, he’s likely to advance quickly this season.

25. Alex Verdugo, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (48): Verdugo was sent back to Triple-A late in Spring Training, and while he got plenty of experience at that level last year (and a bit in the majors, too), he’s simply blocked right now as the Dodgers have a ton of options. Even Andrew Toles, who has already proved he can hit major league pitching, is waiting for an everyday gig, so Verdugo could wind up being a trade chip. UPDATE: Verdugo was recalled to the Dodgers in late-April, hitting decently before being sent back down on May 9 when the Dodgers needed to recall pitching help.

26. Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (16): A popular preseason pick as the AL ROY, Adames will begin the season at Triple-A, but is expected to get the call by the Super Two deadline, if not earlier. Although Adames has yet to go deep this season, he’s averaging an extra-base knock per game in the early going. Even the Rays can’t hold him back for long, can they? UPDATE: Adames has homered a few times now, and continues to rake, but Tampa Bay still hasn’t recalled him.

27. A.J. Puk, SP, Oakland Athletics (67): Puk will certainly slide on most top prospects lists in the wake of his Tommy John surgery, but this is where we liked him long-term heading into 2018. Dr. Andrews worked his magic on Puk, so expect to see the A’s top pitching prospect back around Spring Training next year, with an eye towards getting back into game action by mid-season, 2019.

28. Mackenzie Gore, SP, San Diego Padres (NR): The third overall pick in last year’s draft, Gore has elite strikeout capability and looks like a tremendously advanced pitching prospect who really only needs to slightly improve his control to move very quickly through the Padre system. This kid is the real deal, so expect to see him come in next year as one of the game’s top pitching prospects — especially since he’s already in the top 10 of his position.

29. Leody Taveras, OF, Texas Rangers (64): Signed by Texas out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, Taveras has progressed through the lower levels of the Ranger system in short order. Last year, he made his debut at full-season ball, racking up nearly a hit per game with developing pop and more speed. Taveras is continuing to hit at High-A early on, starting to show signs of productivity. Considering he doesn’t turn 20 until after the minor league season, but could easily work his way up to Double-A this year, he’s on a great trajectory to be a big leaguer before he can legally drink in the U.S.

30. Austin Hays, OF, Baltimore Orioles (NR): Baltimore’s third round pick in 2016, Hays worked his way from High-A to the majors last year. Many thought he’d win a job of Spring Training, but Baltimore has opted to take it slow with him, starting him back at Double-A this season. Hays will certainly be under a bright spotlight there, but early on, his extra-base pop has left something to be desired. Once he heats up, though, he’ll be B-More bound in no time.

31. Kolby Allard, SP, Atlanta Braves (41): There are those not as high as Allard as we are, but for our money, he’s the Braves’ top pitching prospect, and their second best prospect overall. He’s begun the year at Triple-A, but should be in Atlanta before long, especially after looking so sharp this spring. It was great to see Allard stay healthy enough last year to get a full workload in, and while the jump in innings pitched over 2016 is slightly worrisome, the fact he pitched so well this spring should alleviate any concerns. UPDATE: Allard was solid in his first three starts (3.68 ERA), but has been ridiculously good over his last four (0.66 ERA).

32. Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals (NR): Soto is absolutely tearing it up at Class-A this season, piling up the extra-base hits as he tries to force his way up to High-A early on. Don’t be shocked if he earns a very quick promotion as he clearly has nothing left to prove at this level. If this continues, Soto may find his way up to Washington before he turns 21. UPDATE: Sure enough, Soto was promoted to High-A in late-April, but after proving he was too good for that level after just 15 games, he got another bump, this time to Double-A, on May 10.

33. Anthony Alford, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (79): Alford’s first full season in the bigs will be delayed as he’s currently on a rehab assignment while dealing with a hamstring woe that will sideline him for the first month. This kid is uber talented, with developing power, but has struggled to stay healthy. UPDATE: After his rehab assignment, Alford was optioned to Triple-A on April 19. He was recalled to Toronto on May 5. but optioned back to Triple-A on May 14.

34. Sixto Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (NR): Armed with a fantastic baseball name, Sanchez moved to full-season ball last year and immediately proved he can win. Bumped up to High-A for the final month, he found the going tougher, so will begin this season at the FSL again. But with the sinking action he gets on his 100 mph fastball, it shouldn’t be long before Sanchez masters this level and is ready for the next big challenge.

35. Luiz Gohara, SP, Atlanta Braves (NR): This southpaw is currently at Double-A, rehabbing groin and ankle injuries. Expect Gohara to claim a rotation spot on the Braves when he’s healthy and stretched out. UPDATE: Gohara was bumped up to Triple-A on April 21 as part of his rehab, and then optioned to the level a week later. A week and a half ago, he was recalled to Atlanta, and so far has pitched in long relief for the Braves.

36. Franklin Barreto, SS/2B, Oakland Athletics (40): Oakland’s top position prospect offers a nice mix of power-speed potential, and he’s got the arm to play short, but not necessarily the glove to stick in the infield. He started this season in Triple-A and was recalled briefly, but only played in one game and is still waiting for his first at-bat of the season. Expect a midseason trade to open up a job for Barreto in Oakland.

37. Scott Kingery, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies (NR): With his power-speed combo, Kingery has a chance to massively outshine his ADP of 298. There’s a chance he’s not fully ready from a contact perspective, and if the Ks keep piling up, don’t be shocked if he’s sent back to Triple-A for a bit more seasoning. Still, the improved walk rate is great to see, so maybe that will help offset the whiffs. UPDATE: Kingery is playing every day now, but could return to a super utility role once J.P. Crawford returns from injury, possibly at the end of the month.

38. Kyle Lewis, OF, Seattle Mariners (37): No one doubts Lewis’ talent, just his ability to stay healthy. We’re still waiting for him to recover from a knee injury, but he’s expected back in early May. Last year, Lewis had a decent BA at Rookie Ball (helped by a .360 BABIP) and scored plenty of runs at High-A. Hopefully he can stay in the lineup long enough this year for us to finally get a better gauge on his ultimate upside. UPDATE: Lewis was finally on Saturday, and he’s off to a decent start (.250 BA through four games).

39. Ryan McMahon, 3B, Colorado Rockies (NR): Given a chance to play everyday in Colorado this season, McMahon’s extra-base pop has gone AWOL. He recently went 3-for-18 with nine strikeouts and one RBI on a road trip. McMahon needs time to find his groove, but the Rox trying to keep pace with the D-Backs in the NL West, their patience can only last so long. UPDATE: McMahon was optioned back to Triple-A on May 1 and hasn’t exactly tore it up down there, but could get another chance in Colorado with Ian Desmond struggling.

40. Mike Soroka, SP, Atlanta Braves (58): After a superb season (2.75 ERA) at Double-A last year, Soroka has made a seamlessly transition to Triple-A, with tremendously better control early on. His command is off the charts, and he’s yet to give up a dinger. Soroka is ready for the majors and his arrival is imminent. UPDATE: He was promoted to Atlanta May 1, averaging over a K per inning in three starts before landing on the 10-day DL with a shoulder strain on Thursday.

41. Brendan McKay, LHP/1B, Tampa Bay Rays (NR): Moved up to Class-A this year, McKay has looked stellar so far, having no given up a single line drive through two starts. He’s inducing more ground balls, and continues to have success as a two-way player (did we mention he can hit the damn ball too?). UPDATE: On May 14, McKay was promoted to High-A.

42. Franklin Perez, SP, Detroit Tigers (NR): We like Perez a bit more than other pundits, but we’re just impressed with the experience he got at High-A and how he kept racking up the Ks at Double-A last year. Part of the booty Detroit got for Justin Verlander, Perez will miss the beginning of this season with a lat strain, but will start out at Double-A by late-June. Perez could be in the majors for a September cup of coffee.

43. Kyle Wright, SP, Atlanta Braves (NR): How about the stockpile of arms the Braves’ have built up? Wright pitched a few innings at Rookie Ball last year before moving up to High-A, where he failed to win a game, but kept pitching well. He’s already at Double-A to begin 2018, and while he’s still seeking his first professional win, the Ks keep piling up. Wright is an advanced pitching prospect, but will need to get some innings under his belt before moving on to Triple-A or the majors. UPDATE: Wright earned his first pro win on April 21 and followed that up with another W just over three weeks later.

44. Jorge Mateo, SS, Oakland Athletics (57): Mateo was a bit hobbled this spring by a knee woe, but that didn’t stop him from flashing his speed and power potential. He recently endured a career-worst slump at Triple-A by broke out it with a huge triple for his 500th hit as a pro. Once he gets rolling, the A’s will come calling for this kid.

45. Jack Flaherty, SP, St. Louis Cardinals (NR): Flaherty started the season with the Cards, looking very promising in his debut, before being farmed out. There are many that believe he deserves to be the team’s fifth starter, but instead, he went down to Triple-A where he dominated. Now that Adam Wainwright has gotten hurt again, however, Flaherty is expected back in the bigs and is worthy of your Fantasy attention. UPDATE: Flaherty was indeed recalled on May 15. pitching well in his first start back as he tossed a career-high 5 2/3 IP of one-run ball.

46. Kevin Maitan, SS/3B, Los Angeles Angels (61): Extremely hyped, but just as raw, Maitan was granted free agency as part of the sanctions against Atlanta, and the Angels were only too happy to swoop in. He’s starting the season off in extended Spring Training as he’s still looking to break through in short season play. Be patient here, folks. This one’s a long-term project.

47. Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (NR): Milwaukee grabbed Hiura with the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft. He’s got a major league bat, flashing it in his pro debut last year with ridiculous extra-base pop at Rookie Ball before more superb hitting at Class-A. Moved up to High-A this year, Hiura has struggled over the first couple of weeks, but in fairness he was dealing with a shoulder injury. He’ll need some time to adjust and be fully healthy before he starts dominating this level. UPDATE: Hiura has picked up his play in May (.306 BA, 939 OPS), but is slumping again over the week and a half (.189 BA in the last 10 games).

48. Taylor Trammell, OF, Cincinnati Reds (NR): The No. 3 prospect for the Reds ranks slightly higher on some pundits’ lists, but we’re waiting to see what he’s capable of at High-A before jumping all in. Trammell did score a boatload of runs in his first crack at full-season ball last year, and he has shown developing power. But we yet to consider him a feared hitter. Give him some time to adjust to this level and we’ll see. UPDATE: Trammell has adjusted well to High-A (60 total bases in 36 games); he’s likely to rise big time on this list next year.

49. Nick Gordon, SS, Minnesota Twins (46): We moved Gordon into the top 50 prospects last year after we felt he had taken a nice step forward. The Twins are being very methodical with him, asking him to start out at Double-A again this year despite the pile of runs he accumulated there last year. Hence, Gordon slipped ever so slightly on our list this year, but the fact he’s hitting the cover off the ball and proving extremely productive at Double-A early on in 2018, suggests he won’t there long. UPDATE: Gordon continues to rake; he’ll likely get bumped up to Triple-A soon.

50. Cal Quantrill, SP, San Diego Padres (69): This Canadian kid, the Padres’ first rounder (eighth overall) in 2016, enjoyed the first winning record of his pro career last year at High-A, but the losses piled up after a promotion to Double-A. Back at Double-A this season, Quantrill was really rolling until his most recent outing, but he’s making nice progress and should be ready for another promotion by mid-season. The son of ex-big leaguer Paul earned an invite to Spring Training this year, so it’s clear the Padres are big on him. Just note that this system is packed with pitching prospects, so some of them may wind up as trade bait. UPDATE: Quantrill bounced back from that rough start with a pair of gems, but has been tagged hard in each of his last two starts. He may need more time at this level than we expected.

51. Michel Baez, SP, San Diego Padres (NR): Did we mention the Padres are loaded with young hurlers? Baez is one at least four San Diego pitchers that are among the top 100 prospects in the game. The 22-year-old righty is a towering (6′8″) specimen the team signed out of Cuba for $3 million. Last year, Baez made one start in Rookie Ball before moving up to Class-A, where he merely whiffed 34 per cent of the batters he faced. He’s currently at extended Spring Training dealing with a back issue, but once healthy, he’ll be headed to High-A. UPDATE: Baez is now pitching in the High-A California League, but is having his challenges, having lost four of five starts as his pitch counts have been too high.

52. Estevan Florial, OF, New York Yankees (NR): This young Dominican showed sweet extra-base pop at Class-A last year before a promotion to High-A, where he continued to rack up the total bases. Florial is back at High-A this season and has started sluggishly, but he seems to be coming around a bit now and still has some impressive counting cats. Once he gets hot — likely anytime now — he will on the fast track to Double-A. UPDATE: Florial recently had a 32-game on-base streak snapped.

53. Alec Hansen, SP, Chicago White Sox (NR): The Pale Hose grabbed Hanson with their second round pick in 2016, and he’s about a year and half away from helping them in the bigs. Armed with a nice fastball-curve combo, he’ll need to improve his command before becoming a serious factor. Unfortunately, he’s been out this year with a forearm strain, and we all know where that can lead for pitchers. UPDATE: Hansen is currently throwing bullpen sessions before he will make starts at extended Spring Training. His recovery will take some time.

54. Luis Urias, 2B, San Diego Padres (NR): Urias is expected to make his MLB debut at some point this season, and he should be able to hit right away. He’s currently at Triple-A, and holding his own. Once Urias starts racking up a few more total bases, he’ll likely get the call. He’ll be a real asset in leagues that track OBP.

55. J.P. Crawford, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (9): Crawford showed more power at Triple-A last year than ever before, but his speed waned significantly, and that’s really hurt his Fantasy prospects. He got a September promotion, but the power didn’t follow to the bigs. Crawford has graduated to the bigs as the team’s starting shortstop this year, but he hasn’t shown any speed yet. If you own him, be worried that the Phils may try to make a run at Manny Machado in the offseason. UPDATE: Crawford (right forearm strain) landed on the DL on April 29. He’s making progress in his recovery and should head out on a rehab assignment soon.

56. Blake Rutherford, OF, Chicago White Sox (39): Rutherford was racking up the extra-base hits at Class-A before the Yanks sent him to the White Sox as part of a blockbuster deadline deal last year. After the deal, his extra-base pop really slid. Even so, Chicago moved Rutherford to High-A this year and he’s bounced back in a big way, posting his highest wRC+ since his pro debut.

57. Chance Adams, SP, New York Yankees (NR): Adams’ strikeout rate dipped at Double-A last year, but he sharpened his command after a promotion to Triple-A. Back at Triple-A this season, his command has slipped a bit. Adams remains one of the Yanks’ top prospects, but it’s clear a bit more seasoning is in order before he’ll be ready to take on big league hitters. UPDATE: He may be coming around now, looking filthy good on Wednesday.

58. Justus Sheffield, SP, New York Yankees (72): The Yanks have a nice collection of solid arms on the way as well. Could Sheffield be the next home grown rotation star? Technically, he was drafted by the Indians, and then dealt to New York in the Andrew Miller trade in 2016. Sheffield enjoyed a solid year at Double-A in 2017, but after some slight injury issues, he’s started out there again this season. The rate of dominance and the fact he’s giving up fewer hits to centre field this season suggests he’s ready for Triple-A, and soon, the majors. UPDATE: Sure enough, Sheffield was promoted to Triple-A on May, but after two solid starts, he landed on the DL on Saturday with shoulder stiffness.

59. Yadier Alvarez, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (30): After a disturbingly high ERA last year at High-A, Alvarez has slipped on most prospect lists this year, but he still has great potential as a high strikeout hurler. The fact that he put up a much better ERA after a promotion to Double-A last year was a great sign. However, Alvarez remains at Double-A this season, and is off to another slow start, failing to win any of his first three starts. UPDATE: Alvarez still hadn’t won through five starts before landing on the DL on May 6 because of a groin strain.

60. Matt Manning, SP, Detroit Tigers (73): Manning is showing some progress at Class-A this year despite the fact he’s winless so far and has been prone to wildness. His stuff is almost unhittable and he can absolutely dominate hitters, but he needs plenty of refinement before he’ll be ready to advance. As Manning learns to pitch to contact a bit more, he’ll find the wins coming as he sticks around in his starts long enough to actually earn them. UPDATE: Manning through a gem on May 9 to bag his first win, but the 16 walks in 20 2/3 IP illustrates how much work he still has to do to rein in his wildness.

61. Jesus Sanchez, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (NR): This 20-year-old Dominican is ranked inside the top 50 on some prospect lists, but given that he had yet to play beyond Class-A before 2018, we wanted to see how he’d do at a higher level. The answer so far is fantastic, thank you very much. Moved up to High-A this season, Sanchez is showing tremendous power early on. Expect to see him much higher on this list a year from now.

62. Tyler O’Neill, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (50): This young, powerful Canadian flyhawk was recently recalled the Cards, but with their crowded outfield, he didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do. Sent back to Triple-A, O’Neill will wait for an injury to get what will hopefully be a longer look in the bigs. He looks like a nice stash for the second half.

63. Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (74): Bauers knows how to hit and has great on-base skills, but got off to a sluggish start at Triple-A this year. He’s turned things around a bit over the last couple of weeks, but is still capable of more — especially in the BA department. We really like the fact that he brings a nice mix of decent pop, good speed and solid BA to the table. UPDATE: Bauers has continued to shake off that slow start, batting .324 with six runs and four walks over the last 10 games to raise his slash line to a career best .279/.354/.481.

64. Dylan Cease, SP, Chicago White Sox (NR): Last year, Cease was pitching well at Class-A before getting dealt by the Cubs in the Jose Quintana deal. Cease remained at that level after the deal, but went winless down the stretch. Moved up to High-A this season, he’s rolling now, recently tossing two-hit ball over a career best seven scoreless innings as he retired 19 straight at one point. One of the top prospects on the White Sox also fanned a career-best 12 in that start. Cease can reach triple digits with his heater, so small wonder he’s in the top 10 in strikeouts among all minor league pitchers as of this writing.

65. Michael Chavis, 3B, Boston Red Sox (NR): When Chavis was drafted in 2014, we thought he had a chance to be one of the first impact Boston first rounders in nearly a decade. He vindicated us when he made a monumental jump last year, scoring nearly a run per game at High-A and then continuing to draw walks at a nice rate at Double-A. Unfortunately, those good vibes went away thanks to an 80-game PED suspension that he’s currently serving. Still, don’t sleep on Chavis as he could still be a factor by next year.

66. Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds (NR): Winker continued to show superb on-base skills at Triple-A last year, earning his first look in the bigs, and making it a productive stay. He maintained his rookie eligibility and has now graduated to a full-time big leaguer, hitting .305 through the end of April with a team-best OBP. For some reason, Winker still isn’t playing every day, but that can’t continue if this team actually hopes to win some games. This kid’s strike zone judgment is off the charts, combining with Joey Votto to give the Reds two of the best in the biz in this regard.

67. Ian Anderson, SP, Atlanta Braves (NR): Anderson’s record at Class-A last year wasn’t great, but other than too many walks, he was quite strong. Moved up to High-A this season, he’s winless through his first five starts, but he’s again proved harder to hit. Once he irons out his control issues, the results will follow and he’ll move fast to join what’s expected to be a great young rotation in Atlanta. UPDATE: Anderson remains winless, but his hit rates are fantastic.

68. Mickey Moniak, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (28): Moniak remains on this list based on being the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, but we’re still waiting for that studly pedigree to take hold. He’s struggled more with each promotion the Phils have given him. Last year, he did not hit well at Class-A, yet was moved up to High-A this year, where his extra-base pop has been almost non-existent. Moniak’s strike zone judgment is abysmal. He’ll be off this list next year unless we see a dramatic turnaround over the next three or four months. UPDATE: Moniak showed some life with a recent six-game hit streak, but his extra-base pop is still mostly AWOL.

69. Adrian Morejon, SP, San Diego Padres (NR): Morejon has a nice fastball now, but in time, his changeup should be his bread and butter pitch. He made his pro debut last year, and after averaging almost a K per frame at Low-A, he was bumped up to Class-A, where his record wasn’t as good. Morejon has been moved up to High-A this season, and while he’s failed to win any of his first five starts, he’s looking very good for such a young arm (he just turned 19 in February). This lefty is just one several Padre young hurlers that look like they’ll be part of a rotation that could compete for a title in a few years. UPDATE: Morejon has won his last two starts and his BAA keeps dropping with each level he ascends to.

70. Chance Sisco, C, Baltimore Orioles (NR): Sisco’s extra-base sock was nothing to crow about last year at Triple-A, but he did get his first taste of the bigs, seeing action in 10 games. This year, he’s earned a timeshare of the top job, seeing enough action that his counting cats may accumulate to decent totals despite his awful slash line. Hey, at the very least, he has a great baseball name even if he has yet to emerge as a Fantasy force.

71. Christian Arroyo, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (NR): Traded to the Rays in the Evan Longoria deal, Arroyo has always hit for average in the minors and he’s a solid contact hitter. Taken 25th overall in 2013, Arroyo tore it up in Triple-A last year before nearly expended his rookie eligibility in the majors, where his extra-base pop was not as robust. Unfortunately, it was an injury-plagued season, and that carried on into this season. He’s finally healthy now, but the rust is showing at Triple-A as he’s not hitting as well early on. The good news is his bat seems to have woken up over the past week, and he’s starting to produce. UPDATE: Arroyo was recalled to Tampa Bay on May 16, and while he had a fine first game (2-for-5 with a run), he’s not expected to stay long as this is simply an injury recall.

72. Dustin Fowler, OF, Oakland Athletics (NR): The Yanks took Fowler out of a Georgia high school in 2013 with their 18th round pick and then traded him to the A’s at the deadline last year as part of the Sonny Gray deal. Fowler was enjoying a breakout season at Triple-A last year, but upon being promoted to the Yanks, he immediately suffered a season-ending injury. Now healthy, he started slowly at Triple-A this year, but is on a serious tear since the end of April, although his already low walk rate is even lower this season. UDPATE: Fowler was recalled to the majors on May 9, and while he’s struggled to date, he did come through with a single, a walk, a steal and an RBI on Thursday.

73. Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels (NR): The Angels’ first rounder from last season, Adell has major power potential, as he hinted at last year in his pro debut, split among two rookie levels. Moved up to Class-A this season, he was showing better basestealing skills before hurting his thumb. This kid has a chance to make a major move on this list by next year. UPDATE: Adell was activated a week and a half ago, and has made up for lost time with with a .385/.415/.692 slash line with six extra-base hits and 11 RBI since.

74. Anderson Espinoza, SP, San Diego Padres (25): Espinoza still has serious potential, but injuries have slowed his progress (and obviously dimmed his star, somewhat). Out since August 2016, things got worse last year when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery in early August. It’s unlikely we’ll see Espinoza pitch again until Instructional League in the fall, but we can’t forget how dominant he looked in his pro debut in 2015. Once he’s fully healthy, we will soon remember why he was so touted a couple of years ago.

75. Alex Faedo, SP, Detroit Tigers (NR): Detroit’s first round pick from 2017, Faedo brings some excitement to a generally moribund Detroit system, and there are some prospect lists that have him much higher than this. But considering he didn’t make his pro debut last year, we opted to reserve judgment. Still, Faedo pitched some important games in college with the Gators, and although he’s winless in his first six starts at High-A, the numbers have been very impressive. This kid will make a huge jump on this list by next year. UPDATE: Faedo’s last start on May 11 did not go well at all, hurting his overall numbers.

76. Harrison Bader, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (NR): St. Louis’ third round pick in 2015, Bader showed some sweet power at Triple-A last year, earning his first look in the majors, during which he put up some decent counting cats. He graduated to the bigs full-time this season, and has stepped up his play, already matching his run total in seven fewer games. Some injuries in the Cardinal outfield have given him a chance to play more, and he’s shown nice on-base skills. This season, he’ll need a clearer path to PT to become Fantasy worthy, but we still really like his long-term prospects.

77. Jay Groome, SP, BOS (33): Groome has had a tough time staying healthy since Boston took him with its first round pick in 2016. Last year, he went winless at Low-A despite pitching very well, and then got roughed up in Class-A. This season, he began the campaign on the DL with an arm strain, a similar injury that caused his 2017 to be shortened. Groome also started last season on the DL. Once he’s healthy, he’ll have to start out at Low-A once again, but in time he could become a solid mid-rotation starter. UPDATE: Groome underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on May 15, meaning he likely won’t return until around mid-season 2019.

78. Stephen Gonsalves, SP, Minnesota Twins (NR): Minnesota’s fourth round pick in 2013 has made steady progress, earning a mid-season promotion in each of his five pro seasons. Last year, he was not as dominant in 15 Double-A starts and upon promotion to Triple-A, he struggled for the first time in his career over five appearances. The Twins opted to start Gonsalves back at Double-A this year, and after going undefeated in four starts, they quickly bumped him back up to Triple-A, where he’s looked even better going undefeated in his first two starts. After being named Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in each of the last two seasons, he’s now on the cusp of a callup. UPDATE: Gonsalves’ third start at Triple-A wasn’t good, as he was roughed up something fierce.

79. Riley Pint, SP, Colorado Rockies (43): Pint’s stuff is superb (having been compared to Justin Verlander), but getting a handle on it has been another story. He slipped in the rankings this year after a tough full-season debut. Back at Class-A this year, Pint was rocked in his only start so far, landing on the DL with the ever dreaded diagnosis of forearm tightness. As a result, he’s dropping off many prospect lists, and may very well slide on our list as well next season, pending his return to health and how he performs over the remainder of 2018.

80. Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds (NR): We liked Mahle enough to recommend him when he was promoted last August. It was a solid pick, as after a so-so debut, he was dynamite in September, recording a 1.80 ERA over 15 IP. The young righty’s ERA is up this season, but his WHIP is much better and with an xFIP of 3.49, it’s clear Mahle is pitching much better than his bottom line results suggest.

81. Corey Ray, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (35): The fifth overall pick in 2016, Ray’s development has been slowed by injuries. Last year, he stayed healthier, racking up a decent amount of total bases at High-A. This season, Ray has started delivering on his promise, posting an improved walk rate at Double-A. He’s scoring plenty of runs, but continues to post poor batting averages, and that will need to be addressed if he’s going to reach his potential. UPDATE: Ray has hit leadoff homers in three straight games, going yard four times in total over this span, and a .390 mark over the last 10 has addressed his BA issues.

82. Luis Ortiz, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (65): Ortiz has stayed healthy the last couple of years, but seems to have stalled at Double-A. This year, however, it looks like he’s finally mastered the level, albeit in a swingman role. But given Ortiz’s massively improved ERA and fine BAA, he’s ready for Triple-A, and soon, the majors. His career ERA as a pro is back under 3.00, but is his future in the rotation or the bullpen? That’s the big issue here that will dictate his future value. UPDATE: Ortiz landed on the DL near the end of April with hamstring tightness.

83. Jon Duplantier, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks (NR): Duplantier was Arizona’s third rounder in 2016, and the righty was filthy good last year. He was virtually unhittable at Class-A before a promotion to High-A, where his WHIP was higher, but still extremely solid. Duplantier’s ERA is up at Double-A so far, but still very respectable, and really, he’s only had one rough outing out of three starts. In his first 29 pro games, he’s suffered all of four losses. UPDATE: Duplantier has looked good in each of his last two outings, giving him 31 pro games with just four losses.

84. Carson Kelly, C, St. Louis Cardinals (59): Kelly had a solid season at Triple-A last year, flashing more power than ever and earning his first look in the majors, where he struggled to accumulate many counting cats. He was off to a slow start at Triple-A this year, but was recalled recently when Yadier Molina got hurt. Kelly is seeing sporadic PT so far, and he’s done nothing with the bat to earn more. It’ll be interesting to see what he does over the next few weeks. UPDATE: Kelly suffered an injury of his own, landed on the 10-day DL on Thursday with a hamstring woe.

85. Miguel Andujar, 3B, New York Yankees (NR): Andujar burst onto the prospect scene last year by tearing his way through Double-A and Triple-A, earning a brief look in the bigs along the way. This season, he earned his way onto the team early, and has hit well. Andujar isn’t hitting as many groundballs as he did last season with the Yankees, and his HR/FB rate is lower than what he showed at Triple-A. Still, he’s settled in nicely as the seventh man in the Yankee lineup, and it looks like he’s in the bigs to stay.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who is too high, too low or perhaps missing from this list.

In the wake of American Sniper and Sully, veteran director Clint Eastwood once again turns to recent real-world events for his latest endeavor, The 15:17 to Paris, based on the 2015 train attack in Europe. Not content to let actors portray the principles this time, however, Eastwood instead casts the actual soldiers (and others) from the incident in an unconventional move.

THE STORY

Although this isn’t a documentary, it’d be disingenuous to call the movie’s arc a “plot” as it’s heavily based on real events, particularly surrounding the actual event. In the same vein as Sully, 15:17 to Paris is built on the Thalys terrorist attack and then spends the rest of its time filling in the back story of American soldiers Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos, and their childhood friend Anthony Sadler.

While we’re given glimpses of the train attack throughout, the film begins showing the three friends as children, chronicling their upbringing through a private Christian high school and then going their separate ways but remaining in touch. Spencer ends up enlisting in the Air Force to join a Pararescue group, though a lack of depth perception disqualifies him and he ends up serving in Europe in another capacity.

Eventually he joins Alek, stationed in Afghanistan, and Anthony, who flies out from the US, to go backpacking across Europe. After checking out some of the sights — Spencer and Anthony in Italy, Alek in Germany — they rendezvous in Amsterdam and strike out for Paris. On the train, a terrorist named Ayoub El Khazzani attempts to open fire with an assault rifle but is subdued by the three Americans, thwarting the attack.

THE GOOD

Easily the best part of the film is the train attack itself. It’s well done, not sensationalized — there’s no back story for El Khazzani or any of terrible “villain building” that hurt 12 Strong — and depicts a true act of heroism for which all involved deserve tremendous credit. It’s heartwarming to see them honoured by the French government as well as the parade footage that rolls later on. It’s well put together and filmed.

Whether or not using the three men to play themselves in the movie was a good decision, it’s at least something different, and the group, while uncomfortably wooden at times (particularly when trying to portray any kind of banter), is likable. We’d warmed to it quite a bit by the end. Also, although there’s no question the backpacking portion of the film is filler, it’s visually interesting and shot in an unassuming and intimate manner.

THE BAD

Even at less than an hour and a half, 15:17 to Paris feels stretched. As mentioned, the time spent with the three men exploring Europe is wholly unnecessary and definitely was used to pad out the already-short length. Eastwood had the same problem with Sully where he turned another short, isolated event into a feature film, only here there’s no Tom Hanks to fill the time.

Forget about the wooden acting from our three heroes. It’s to be expected. What really drags the movie down is how bad the paid actors are. Some of it can be blamed on the script — Jenna Fischer (The Office) in particular has some terrible lines — but it’s crazy to think that, at the same time that the likes of Stranger Things and IT and are being made, these were the best child actors they could find. They’re just so bad.

Someone can also explain to us Eastwood’s fascination with casting several comedic actors for dramatic parts. There’s Thomas Lennon (best known as Dangle from Reno 911!) as the Christian school principal, Tony Hale (Buster Bluth from ArrestedDevelopment) as the PE teacher and Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters) as a history teacher. We kept waiting for them to be add some levity or something, but they all play it straight the whole way.

THE BONUS FEATURES

There are two extras, totaling around 20 minutes. The first has Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler, along with the Moogalians, talk through what happened to them on the train interspersed with shots from the film. The other is more about making the film and the decision to use the actual people instead of actors. Both are quite interesting.

OVERALL

There’s little doubt Eastwood had good intentions in spotlighting this act of heroism and then using the real people to play themselves, but it doesn’t make The 15:17 to Paris any better of a film. Watching what’s here it’s hard to argue this wouldn’t have been better as a short.

]]>http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/18/blu-ray-review-the-1517-to-paris/feed/0Video Game Review: The Council – Episode 2http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/16/video-game-review-the-council-episode-2/
http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/16/video-game-review-the-council-episode-2/#commentsThu, 17 May 2018 01:30:21 +0000Mike Chenhttp://www.rotorob.com/?p=63873
Episode 2 takes you further into the lush estate of Lord Mortimer.

Please note that since each episode of The Council features the same graphics engine and control setup, those elements will not be repeated in our reviews for the final four episodes. To read our complete thoughts on that, refer to our review of The Mad Ones.

The Council promised to shake up the interactive fiction genre established by Quantic Dream and popularized by TellTale. By bringing in RPG elements and abilities, The Council’s first episode offered new takes on branching storylines and leveling up to customize your character. The second episode, Hide & Seek, brings more of the same but goes deeper. The result is a satisfying adventure that fails to break much new ground.

One of the most significant changes, though, is the addition of a murder-mystery element. The first half of the three-hour episode plays out like one of the Sherlock Holmes games, with questioning and connecting clues to witnesses and suspects. Your selected abilities really come into play here, as does the rationing of ability points.

For our playthrough, despite having a fairly broad base of abilities, our least-powered skill (Logic) meant that several critical discussion choices were closed off because we didn’t have a high-enough level. This is more of the customized experienced The Council can bring, and it’s enticing considering what could come out of this model for future games.

On the flip side, the episode mostly takes place in the exact same location as the first, except instead of the outer docks, you get a hedge maze/courtyard and the room of Lord Mortimer (who’s a real person, unlike how our suspicions played out in the first episode).

There’s political intrigue as Lord Mortimer reveals a lot about himself to you, and fortunately, his character model isn’t as hideous as some of the other characters in the game. However, if you were hoping for an improvement in either the voice acting or the visuals, you’re out of luck.

OVERALL (3.75/5)

Hide & Seek is a well-done episode that adds gameplay and plot layers without really shaking things up. This hopefully sets up for a game-changing middle installment.

]]>http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/16/video-game-review-the-council-episode-2/feed/0Interview: Nick Loweryhttp://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/15/interview-nick-lowery/
http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/15/interview-nick-lowery/#commentsTue, 15 May 2018 18:22:15 +0000RotoRobhttp://www.rotorob.com/?p=63664RotoRob recently had the pleasure to sit down with Nick Lowery, the Chiefs' all-time leading scorer, and one of the greatest place kickers in NFL history. Currently an advocate for zero-THC Cannabidiol (CBD), Nick the Kick made three Pro Bowl teams over his 18-year career, and he proved as verbose and enthusiastic as he was accurate on the gridiron, waxing philosophical on a range of topics.]]>
Nick Lowery could boot with the best of them. (Kansas City Chiefs)

RotoRob recently had the pleasure to sit down with Nick Lowery, the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-time leading scorer, and one of the greatest place kickers in NFL history. Currently an advocate for zero-THC Cannabidiol (CBD), Nick the Kick made three Pro Bowl teams over his 18-year career, and he proved as verbose and enthusiastic as he was accurate on the gridiron, waxing philosophical on a range of topics, including:

Whether Cannabidiol (CBE) allows him to read people’s minds or not.

Plans to move from animal to human research over the next couple of years.

His belief that cannabis will soon begin to be taken off certain forbidden lists and possibly decriminalized in time.

Who he would take first overall in a dynasty league, and why.

How the loaded 1990 Chiefs could have gone all the way and how his missed field goal in the final seconds haunts him.

How focused and precise Joe Montana was — even in practice, and his leadership qualities.

His future plans, which include getting the NFL on board with this product.

The 2017-18 Fantasy basketball season is in the can, and here’s hoping you had a great campaign and that our waiver wire picks helped steer you to a championship.

Using the wire can provide value in many ways. Sometimes, it offers a temporary fix to an injury issue or it’s simply a case of jumping on a player delivering short-term value. But when you pick up a player and he sticks on your team for the entire season, or even the lion’s share, and contributes throughout, that is the true definition of waiver wire gold.

With this in mind, we rank players higher that were identified earlier in the season as — in theory — they had an opportunity to provide value for your team for a longer stretch.

Oh sure, we had plenty of misses among our picks, and because of the bi-weekly nature of our column it means that some hot free agents get scooped up days before we can tout them. But the fact is that if you managed to wind up with, say, three or four of these guys on your team, chances are you were a pretty happy camper this season.

Without further ado, we present the 2017-18 NBA Wire Troll All-Star Team…

Dates in parentheses represent the first time we recommended them (some of these dudes needed more than one shout out before peeps caught on).

Kelly Olynyk, C, Miami Heat (Week Six): He’s not always the most aggressive defensive player, but Olynyk stayed healthy enough to play in a career high 80 games this season, setting a new personal best with 11.5 PPG while slightly upping his blocks. Over the final two months of the season, he was a top 60 player — especially impressive considering he didn’t log heavy minutes. Just how popular is Olynyk? Hell, there are dudes asking him out (see video below)!

Austin Rivers, PG, Los Angeles Clippers (Week Two): He missed some time with injury, but was never better while healthy. For the first time ever, Rivers was an asset in assists and he enjoyed career bests across the board. It’ll be interesting to see if he exercises his 2018-19 option or not. Would he dare leave his dad Doc with no son to coach?

Terry Rozier, PG, Boston Celtics (Week Four): The former Louisville star got his chance to excel in Boston this season — proving especially valuable down the stretch after Kyrie Irving went down. Rozier appeared in a career-high 80 games this season, sinking more buckets than ever before. He did a better job of getting to the line, and carried that into the postseason, setting career highs with 23 points in each of the first two games of the first round series against Milwaukee.

Jarrett Allen, PF/C, Brooklyn Nets (Week Six): Just 20 years old, Allen established himself as a building block in Brooklyn with a strong rookie campaign. He only played 20 minutes per game, but his PT kept rising as the season progressed, as did his touches. Allen did a good job of getting to the line and showed nice potential on the offensive glass. Best of all, his 58.9 per cent field goal accuracy ranked second among all rookies that played at least 30 games. Allen should be a big-time sleeper heading into 2018-19.

Michael Beasley, SF/PF, New York Knicks (Week 10): Beasley’s move to the Knicks ushered in his best season since 2010-11 when it looked like he was on the cusp of stardom. He spent a good chunk of the season starting, sinking more buckets and more three-pointers than he had in some time. Beasley also enjoyed the second best FT percentage of his career in a nice renaissance performance.

Dwight Powell, PF/C, Dallas Mavericks (Week 12): The second Canadian on our list, Powell has developed into a solid face up power forward, breaking through with a career high 8.5 PPG this season — 10.1 after the break, and a whopping 14.2 in February. He’s grown into a key component of the Dallas rebuild.

Mario Hezonja, SG, Orlando Magic (Week 12): Hezonja played in more games this season, and earned more starts than ever before, responding with a breakout campaign. To begin the season, he struggled to get into the rotation, but once he did, he really started to show why he was the fifth overall pick in 2015 (although he’s unlikely to ever live up to that lofty billing). One of the few bright spots in a dismal season in Orlando, he may now leave the Magic as an UFA, which is not a bad thing considering the pressure he must have felt to justify his draft selection.

Trey Burke, PG, New York Knicks (Week 20): Burke is a player we recommended substantially later in the season than most on this list — not until March. Even so, he turned into a stellar asset down the stretch, playing in more games in March, and then getting more touches in April. All told, Burke sunk more free throws this season and his rebounding work bounced back somewhat. He’ll again challenge for PT at PG for the Knicks next season.

Anthony Tolliver, PF, Detroit Pistons (Week 10): Tolliver had gone eight years since scoring 25 points in a game before turning the trick in late-March. A week and a half later, he did it again. Tolliver’s touches were up this season and he set a career high by averaging two treys. He’s set himself up well as a free agent this summer.

Kelly Oubre Jr., SF, Washington Wizards (Week Two): Oubre enjoyed a breakout campaign, getting a nice boost in minutes while continuing to improve as a free throw shooter. He upped his rebounding and steals, too, and if he can add a bit more muscle, he could be an even bigger force going forward.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below which Fantasy basketball waiver wire picks helped you the most this season.

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re into mid-May now, leaving us just over three weeks away from the 2018 MLB Draft, so expect more dynasty picks in the coming weeks.

This week, the Pirates finally got a big home crowd… there to see former fan fave Andrew McCutchen; Willson Contreras went hog wild on his bobblehead doll day, driving in seven runs; and former pitching great Jim Kaat thinks seven-inning games would solve many of baseball’s issues.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball waiver wire recommendations…

Neil Walker, 2B/1B, New York Yankees (ESPN: 2.5 per cent; CBS: 13 per cent): Walker has been holding down first base, but with Greg Bird back soon and Gleyber Torres now entrenched at second, he’s been taking reps at third base to increase his chance of PT. Walker has hit safely is six of the last eight games, and before Friday, had scored runs in seven straight games (nine total runs), so actually has been playing better lately. There were concerns that by signing Walker (and Chris Drury) the Yanks would block some of their prospects, but clearly that’s not the case. And now Walker may become a utility man, a role which may still hold value in AL-only leagues and actually increase his value in some instances, given the positional flexibility. He also seems to have quickly grasped the Yankee way (see video below).

Brad Brach, RP, Baltimore Orioles (ESPN: 22.6 per cent; CBS: 31 per cent): Brach remains a solid short-term source of saves while the O’s await the return of Zach Britton (Achilles). Brach hit a rough patch a couple of weeks ago, but has righted the ship with three straight scoreless outing, recording saves in each of the last two. He somehow won 14 games as a reliever over the previous two years, but is winless so far. Still, Brach’s already earned five saves despite some awful bouts of wildness. Roll with him while you can.

Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox (ESPN: 4.5 per cent; CBS: 39 per cent): Jimenez may be the next top prospect to get recalled. After missing some time at the start of the season with a pectoral injury, he’s gone 30-for-90 so far at Double-A, but is really heating up lately. He had a streak of nine straight multi-hit games, and had gone 19-for-43 over the last 10 games, with 10 RBI before Saturday (when he was 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI). Jimenez’s walk rate is down, but he’s offset that by making better contact. It’s clear he’s ready for the next step, so jump on him now while his ownership is fairly low.

Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Washington Nationals (ESPN: 16.9 per cent; CBS: 48 per cent): The veteran righty seems to have nine lives, doesn’t he? On Tuesday, he hurled 6 2/3 shutout frames, allowing just two hits to the Padres while whiffing eight and walking none to earn his first win of the season. That gives Hellboy back-to-back scoreless outings, and through five starts, his hit rates have never been better. His control has been off the charts good, his command fantastic, and he’s even limiting long balls. Given Hellickson’s history, it’s doubtful this lasts for long, but while he’s rolling, you may as well grab him and see how it plays out.

Quick Hits

Jose Bautista has gone six days without a hit for Atlanta and now it seems he’ll only play against lefties. His OPS is 470, so feel free to cut him immediately.

How frustrating is White Sox hurler Carson Fulmer? At the end of April, he put together back-to-back strong outings, including seven shutout innings in Kansas City. Since then, Fulmer has been shredded for 10 hits, 10 runs (nine earned), five homers and six walks in 5 1/3 IP over two starts, both losses. The White Sox are giving him every opportunity to remain a starter, but he’s not capitalizing.

Chase Utley just keeps on keeping on. He was in an 0-for-9 slump earlier this week that dropped him to .244. He’s gone 4-for-7 with a double and three RBI since. Utley’s on pace to see more action this year, he remains a good baserunner and he’s getting on base at a .370 clip. At the age of 39.

Tyler Chatwood may lead the majors in walks, but he’s generally managed to limit the damage lately, going 3-0 over his last four starts. Run support always helps. In two of those three wins, the Cubs scored 21 combined runs. It’s hard to imagine Chatwood maintaining that 3.35 ERA given his control issues.

Reds’ outfielder Scott Schebler is losing traction. Not only did he have some adventures in the outfield on Friday, but he went hitless for the seventh time in his last nine games. That .317 BA he put up in April has been killed by a 4-for-28 May. Time to cut bait here.

In his first season in the Oakland system, veteran minor league outfielder Nick Martini knows how to get the A’s attention. He’s got a .410 OBP, and is hitting better after a slow start. Martini, a 2011 seventh rounder by St. Louis, is still seeking his first promotion to the bigs.

You can’t blame Manny Machado for the sad state of affairs in Baltimore. A day after spanking two homers (including his 150th career shot) and driving in six, Machado went yard again Saturday, giving him four jacks in three games and a five-game hit streak. He’s now tied with Mookie Betts for the MLB lead in home runs and is likely headed for his first 40-bomb campaign.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

]]>http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/12/the-wire-troll-neil-walker-morphing-into-utility-role/feed/02017-18 NHL Wire Troll All-Star Teamhttp://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/11/2017-18-nhl-wire-troll-all-star-team/
http://www.rotorob.com/2018/05/11/2017-18-nhl-wire-troll-all-star-team/#commentsFri, 11 May 2018 19:04:19 +0000RotoRobhttp://www.rotorob.com/?p=63581
Yanni Gourde would be a second or first liner on any other team. (Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire)

The 2017-18 Fantasy hockey season is now finito, and here’s hoping you had a great campaign and that our waiver wire picks helped you kick some ass.

Using the wire can provide value in many ways. Sometimes, it offers a temporary fix to an injury issue or it’s simply a case of jumping on a player delivering short-term value. But when you pick up a player and he sticks on your team for the entire season, or even the lion’s share, and contributes throughout, that is the true definition of waiver wire gold.

With this in mind, we rank players higher that were identified earlier in the season as they — in theory — had an opportunity to provide value for your team for a longer stretch.

Oh sure, we had plenty of misses among our picks, and because of the bi-weekly nature of our column it means that some hot free agents get scooped up days before we can tout them. But the fact is that if you managed to wind up with, say, three or four of these guys on your team, chances are you were a pretty happy camper this season.

Without further ado, we present the 2017-18 NHL Wire Troll All-Star Team…

The dates in parentheses represent when we recommended them.

Dustin Brown, RW, Los Angeles Kings (Week Two): He probably wasn’t thrilled about how the season ended, but Brown sure reached into Fountain of Youth and came up with a fantastic campaign. After looking like a Fantasy non-factor for the last four seasons, he put together a 61-point effort for a new career best. Brown remains a tough as nails competitor, too, one whom you don’t want to keep your head down when you’re playing against.

Josh Bailey, LW, New York Islanders (Week Two): Bailey enjoyed a major breakout season offensively, potting 71 points in 76 games. His efforts have earned him a spot on Canada’s roster at the IIHF World Championship.

Yanni Gourde, LW/RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (Week Seven): Man, the Lightning just keeps coming up with these amazing young players. Gourde was the most recent to become a Fantasy staple after busting through for 25 goals (seven on the PP) and 39 assists this season. And he’s Tampa Bay’s No. 3 right winger! That’s about as dependable a third line winger as you’ll find. Gourde has continued his great season into the playoffs, playing a key role on the power play (see video below).

Mattias Ekholm, D, Nashville Predators (Week Seven): Already shutdown defender, Ekholm broke through with his first double-digit goal season, while going a career high +25. To prove that was no fluke, all he did was get six points and go +9 in Nashville’s six-game, first round victory over Colorado.

Erik Haula, LW/C, Vegas Golden Knights (Week 11): Originally drafted by the Wild, Haula showed a bit of potential as a secondary source of scoring, but nothing that prepared us for what he’d do with Vegas this season. Then again, the Golden Knights’ roster was filled with such stories. Haula broke through for a career-best 55 points, firing more shots on goal than ever before. He was one of five Vegas players to score 20 or more goals as part of a very balanced attack.

Carter Hutton, G, St. Louis Blues (Week 11): As an unrestricted free agent, Hutton will likely be in demand this offseason after establishing himself as perhaps the best backup goalie in the game. He faced the most shots since his rookie season in Nashville, when he was in a timeshare. Hutton finished 10 games over .500 this season, which is damn impressive considering he played fewer than 35 games.

Nate Schmidt, D, Vegas Golden Knights (Week Five): Plucked from the Capitals in the expansion draft, Schmidt was yet another Golden Knight that proved to be a jackpot for Vegas. He scored a career-best five goals while more than doubling his personal highs in assists and points. Schmidt — who had never recorded a power play point in his career before this season — proved instrumental for the Knights with the man advantage, logging 10 helpers.

Travis Konecny, C, Philadelphia Flyers (Week 10): Konecny seemed to have a shoot-first mentality this season, but has untapped playmaking potential. Taken 24th overall by the Flyers in 2015, he really broke out this season, and with a tad more consistency and some maturity, this kid is really going to be something going forward.

Cam Ward, G, Carolina Hurricanes (Week 11): Just when it appeared 34-year-old Ward was nearing the end of his career, he once again emerged as the No. 1 goalie for the Hurricanes. While he didn’t have to make nearly as many saves last season, he did so at an improved rate. Now, after 13 seasons in Carolina, Ward is an UFA, so this could be the end of his long run with the team.

Tom Wilson, RW, Washington Capitals (Week Nine): Wilson is still one tough-ass mofo, but after being moved to the top line in Washington with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin, he proved that his hands have uses other than pummeling people. One thing is not like the other two here, is it? Wilson came through with a career best 35 points while going +10, and is now feared as a goal scorer as well as a serious pugilist.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below which Fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups helped you the most this season.

Originally released in 2013 on both the PlayStation 3 and Vita, Dragon’s Crown is getting a fresh coat of paint and returning as Dragon’s Crown Pro for the PlayStation 4. The new version features upgraded audio and graphics but no additional content — in fact, your PS3/Vita saves and trophy progression both carry forward. Let’s see how it holds up.

CONTROLS (4.5/5)

Simplicity is the rule in Dragon’s Crown Pro with nearly all of your attacks mapped to the square button; the lone exception is that pressing circle will unleash a powerful, class-specific attack. You can evade, block and jump, as well as pick up items in the environment, but this is a pretty straightforward side-scrolling beat ‘em up.

One slightly odd element is that the right analog stick is used to control an on-screen cursor, which you primarily use to direct your thieving companion to unlock doors and treasure chests. It felt more natural on the Vita, where you simply tapped the screen, but it never needs to be done during combat so it doesn’t really affect enjoyment.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4.25/5)

Dragon’s Crown Pro has been remastered to take advantage of the PS4 Pro’s 4K capabilities, and running on that system it looks richly coloured with sharp spell effects and attack animations. It’s not a quantum leap over the original, but that’s a testament to Vanillaware’s quality art design and beautiful environments than a knock on Pro’s quality. It looked good then, it looks great now.

What hasn’t changed is the game’s style, which includes scantily clad (and excessively endowed) women bouncing around the screen. Some will view it as objectification and dismiss the game out of hand, and while we can’t argue that perspective we weren’t bothered by it. Sure, some stuff might’ve earned a head shake, but during actual combat you’re unlikely to notice.

Voice acting is mostly limited to an announcer with occasional snippets of dialogue tossed in from other characters. Easily the best part of the upgraded audio experience is the orchestral soundtrack, which nails the atmosphere of whichever area or battle you happen to be in.

GAMEPLAY (4.25/5)

Story wise, Dragon’s Crown Pro never becomes much more than an excuse to do some old-fashioned dungeon crawling. Initially you’ll be restricted to using computer-controlled players, which is a mixed bag. In combat your A.I. cohorts typically hold their own, but trap avoidance and environmental damage are another matter as they clumsily step onto spikes or get bombarded by fire to the point of death.

Given the uneven teammate A.I., joining forces with other players is the preferred method, and once you complete the first nine stages that option becomes available (though you can choose to soldier on with the A.I.). On that front, Pro’s connection to earlier versions is a blessing as there were always plenty of people available to fill the three A.I. slots.

What also opens up is a second path through each of the nine areas, leading to a more powerful boss that drops a talisman when defeated. Collecting those unlocks the final area and a showdown with the main baddie. Defeat him and you can ascend to a higher difficulty while also raising the level cap. With multiple difficulty settings an eventual cap of 99 there’s plenty to do.

In addition, there are six unique character classes to play as, some of which make the game much easier than others so those looking for a serious challenge can find it here. As you’d suspect, the melee-based classes (fighter, dwarf and amazon) are better suited for casual players, where as ranged characters (wizard, sorceress and elf) require a more experienced touch.

Even more than that, the classes are legitimately different and require unique tactics to succeed. This is particularly true once you start teaming up with others as finding the proper mix of skills and abilities can mean the difference between success and failure. There’s a lot of depth hidden beneath the veneer of a simple hack n’ slash, and those willing to invest the time will come to appreciate that.

Finding loot and leveling up are key elements as well. Each trip through a dungeon will net you four things: experience, gold, loot and piles of bones. The first two are self explanatory, and the loot system hearkens back to RPGs past as found items are identified only by their rank, requirement (class and level) and category (sword, bow, etc.). To use your loot you’ll need to have it appraised, at which point all data becomes available.

As for the bones, these are the remains of dead adventurers, and upon returning to the central hub you can either resurrect them so that they can join your party moving forward or bury them permanently in the hopes of recouping an item or two.

Experience will earn you a skill point for each level you gain. These are then used to purchase new and enhanced abilities from two card decks: one is class-specific, which is where you’ll get new attacks and skills, and the other is general upgrades like increased health.

Although constant progression fosters a sense of satisfaction, the game can definitely feel repetitive after a while. Enemies are constantly scaling up to present a sustained challenge, and that means you’ll often need to farm for experience and items before completing primary missions. Plus, even with a second path and various hidden rooms you’ll be seeing the same areas and enemies a lot.

Still, that repetitiveness is a price worth paying for the tremendous amount of content to be found here with the aforementioned multiple difficulty settings and character classes, along with a full slate of side missions that open up as you progress.

OVERALL (4.25/5)

While Dragon’s Crown Pro is the best version of a really well-made fantasy side-scroller, it doesn’t have any new content, which could make an MSRP just slightly below a brand-new AAA release a tough sell.

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re into early-May now, so at this point you’re starting to get an idea of your chances for 2018. It’s time to address any deficiencies through the wire.

This week, Albert Pujols became just the fourth player in MLB history to reach both 3,000 hits and 600 homers; Walker Buehler — whose rotation spot had already been solidified with Hyun-Jin Ryu’s injury — teamed with three relievers to throw the first combined no-hitter in Dodger history; and the Yankees are getting big-time contributions from youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres as the team has won 13 of its last 14 games.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball waiver wire recommendations which features plenty of pitching options.

Domingo German, SP, New York Yankees (ESPN: 2.6 per cent; CBS: 16 per cent): Speaking of young Yankees, with Jordan Montgomery out two months, rookie German will get his first career start on Sunday with a chance to stick in the rotation for a nice run if things go well. Used as the long reliever so far this season, German’s had some rough outings, but looked great his last two appearances (seven innings, eight hits, one earned run, one homer, seven Ks and two walks). The righty is a former Futures Game participant that’s dealt with some injury issues in recent seasons. German’s fastball reaches 95 mph, his changeup is in the high 80s and he has a nice breaking ball (see video below). The health woes he had kind of sidetracked him as a top prospect, but the talent is still there, so don’t sleep on this kid.

Kyri Washington, OF, Boston Red Sox (ESPN: NA; CBS: unowned): Boston hasn’t had much to crow about from its minor league system this year with top prospects Michael Chavis (suspension) and Jay Groome (injury) out of commission. However, the Bosox’s 23rd round pick from 2015 is making some noise. Washington was struggling to put up counting cats last year at High-A before missing most of the season with an injury. He’s back at the level now and has already seen more action than he did all of last season, and while he’s whiffing way too much, he’s starting to show a little something something. Washington has hit safely in eight straight games, culminating in Friday’s explosion of three homers and five RBI. Watch for him to get a bump up to Double-A soonish and potentially start showing up as a darkhorse prospect.

Drew Hutchison, RP, Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN: unowned; CBS: unowned): Hutchinson has been converted into a long man this year, and we like how he’s pitching to contact (12 strikes were put into play on Friday), yet is still averaging a K per inning. With a 2.76 ERA, could he earn himself another shot in a rotation that includes injured and ineffective Ben Lively, Vince Velasquez (who is being beaten like a red-headed stepchild) and Nick Pivetta (who started the season nicely, but has been tagged in his last two outings)? It’s something to watch.

Brandon McCarthy, SP, Atlanta Braves (ESPN: 28.3 per cent; CBS: 50 per cent): McCarthy has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his half dozen starts this season, tying a season-best with six punchouts in his last outing to improve to 4-0, 3.09. His strikeout rate is down a smidge this year, but if he can stay healthy, he should easily top 125 whiffs while providing plenty of wins, a solid ERA and a decent WHIP. It’s not Fantasy gold, but it’s roster-worthy.

Matt Adams, 1B/OF, Washington Nationals (ESPN: 12.1 per cent; CBS: 25 per cent): With plenty of injuries in Washington opening the door, Adams has been tearing it up lately, hammering four dingers over the last four games. He’s hitting significantly fewer flyballs this year, replaced by line drives, while his medium and, especially, hard hit rates are up. The result is an off the charts ISO of .375, which is unsustainable, but if the PT maintains (quite possible if Ryan Zimmerman’s injury worsens), the extra-base knocks will pile up.

Sandy Alcantara, SP, Miami Marlins (ESPN: 0.4 per cent; CBS: 7 per cent): Alcantara finally earned his first Triple-A win on Friday, giving up just four hits and a run over seven frames. Better yet, his command was sharp (five Ks vs. one walk) and he’s managed to reduce his BAA to .230. There are many that believe Alcantara is ultimately headed to a bullpen role, but even if that happens, he could be a superb dynasty league option. For now, Miami continues to view him as a starting pitcher prospect, one that should get another look in the bigs very soon at this rate.

Quick Hits

Auburn ace Casey Mize continues to top most mock draft boards, so is likely Detroit bound in next month’s MLB Draft. He certainly did nothing to hurt his stock on Friday, earning the win with 15 strikeouts over nine innings (four hits and one run allowed).

Colorado closer Wade Davis has walked a batter in each of his last three appearances, but has also fanned two in each of the last four. Moving to Coors has not killed his ERA (2.70) yet.

Cleveland keeps toying with its bullpen thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness. Now, it’s acquired Oliver Drake from Milwaukee for $110,000. The 31-year-old was averaging better than a K per inning this year before getting DFAed earlier this week. The Indians are desperate to fix a pen that ranks 28th with a 5.11 ERA.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

Veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer has overseen dozens of films, most of which have an action slant, but his last dip into war movies brought us the excellent Black Hawk Down — a movie that not only washed away much of the stink of Pearl Harbor, but in many ways created the blueprint for many modern war films with its ensemble cast and dedication to grittier, more realistic combat. His latest endeavor is 12 Strong, based on the nonfiction book Horse Soldiers.

THE PLOT

In the aftermath of 9/11, Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) requests he be reinstated from a staff job to his former role as head of the green beret unit 595. After some initial blow back he’s given his old command, including the returning Chief HalSpencer (Michael Shannon), who was set to retire before the terrorist attack.

Nelson and his team are dispatched to Afghanistan where they are eventually selected to fight alongside Abdul Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban), who leads a Northern Alliance group, against the Taliban. Their goal is to retake the city of Mazar-i Sharif and do so before the weather turns and prevents their advance by stranding them in the mountains. Making things worse, the 12-man team must travel via horseback due to the terrain, something only Nelson is proficient in.

To succeed they’ll need to not only navigate the mountains but also the complex relationships between Nelson and Dostum as well as the Northern Alliance groups with one another. As time runs out the need to push forward to give the U.S. a foothold in Afghanistan gets more pressing as does the desire to give all the Americans back home a much-needed victory.

THE GOOD

12 Strong is anchored by a pair of accomplished actors in Hemsworth and Shannon, both of whom deliver solid performances to provide whatever level of emotional grounding the film ends up creating. Shannon is underused, spending much of his time apart from Hemsworth to anchor the “B team” portions, but he’s good when on screen. As for Hemsworth, it’s refreshing to see him outside the realm of the Marvel Universe.

While there isn’t a ton of action, especially relative to the trailer, what’s there is well done and packs plenty of intensity. The film’s final encounter is the best of the bunch, even though it likely took some liberties with how much action the team saw and the nature of their charge on horseback through seemingly insurmountable odds. It has a very Hollywood feel.

THE BAD

As noted, 12 Strong is based off real events, so the filmmakers were limited in what they could do. It seems a bit weird, however, to try and strike such an uplifting, patriotic tone given what preceded the mission (9/11) and what has followed it (a decade-plus conflict that still had no end date). That’s not to diminish what these soldiers were able to accomplish, but maybe a more reserved approach with a greater focus on the people would’ve worked better.

Unfortunately, outside of the odd bit of jocularity between the troops there’s precious little character or relationship development between anyone other than Nelson and Dostum. Instead, the soldiers are given, at best, a distinguishing trait: there’s the funny one (Michael Pena), the one with nice hair, guy with glasses, guy that befriends a local boy and so on. Those personal connections, and the part where they learn to ride the horses the book is named after, are swept aside for big explosions.

Although the action is presented in a satisfying way, it’s often unclear what’s going strategically, by which we mean the squad’s primary goal in combat is to paint targets so that air support can drop bombs on them. So why then do they later need to charge a missile launcher on horseback rather than calling in another air strike? It’s possible an explanation is given, but if so, we missed it amid the fighting. Lastly, the way the movie creates a “villain” for the heroes to battle is beyond cliche.

THE BONUS FEATURES

There are just two extras, a catch-all “making of” that interviews some of the real people involved in the op along with how they went about putting everything together, and a featurette about the horse soldier statue. Probably the most interesting moments in the 30 or so minutes are the soldier interviews, but it’s a forgettable offering.

OVERALL

As a historical operation, 12 Strong is rather remarkable. As a film, it’s far less so. Bruckheimer would’ve done better to tell this story on the micro level, focusing on the soldiers’ feelings in the wake of 9/11 rather than using it as a backdrop to blowing stuff up.

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re now just a week away from the Padres-Dodgers series in Monterrey, Mexico as the sport continues to try to gain a global foothold.

This week, the Cubs have played their last four games without former NL MVP Kris Bryant, dealing with a suspected concussion (although he’s expected back Saturday); the Pirates have opted to give Jung Ho Kang another chance after his DUI caused him to miss all of last season; and White Sox reliever Danny Farquhar (aneurysm) has progressed to being able to do light walks, fantastic news considering how grave things looked just a week ago.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball recommendations, with a bit of forward-looking bent to them this time around…

Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (ESPN: 1.4 per cent; CBS: 19 per cent): Acquired from Detroit in the three-team deal that sent David Price to the Tigers in 2014, Adames could turn out to be the gem of the trade. Adames is currently sporting a wRC+ of 192 at Triple-A, showing he really has nothing left to prove in the majors. Still, Tampa Bay, being Tampa Bay, will likely wait until after the Super 2 deadline before bringing him up. But make no mistake: this kid is ready. On Sunday, he hit his first career grand slam; on Monday, he had four hits for the cycle (see the monster dinger in the video below), three RBI and two runs; on Tuesday, he scored another two runs with a hit, a walk and a steal; and then bashed another two hits with a walk on Wednesday, to raise his season average to .355. The Rays’ top prospect could be the next Anthony Rendon — at shortstop.

Danny Valencia, 3B, Baltimore Orioles (ESPN: 0.3 per cent; CBS: 2 per cent): Injuries to Oriole infielders have guaranteed that Valencia is going to get PT for the foreseeable future, so it’s time to consider him in deeper AL-only leagues. On Thursday, he delivered two hits, including a solo dinger, to snap a slump. Valencia started the season as a part-timer, and hasn’t done much yet, but he does have some pop — that was his third jack of the season. He’s shown the ability to hit for a decent average (.267 career) and be productive (66 RBI in each of the last two seasons), so it’s worth watching to see what he does with this opportunity.

Willie Calhoun, OF, Texas Rangers (ESPN: 6.1 per cent; CBS: 40 per cent): Calhoun is an integral part of the Rangers’ plan, but he’s currently toiling away at Triple-A in order to (ostensibly) improve his glove work (read: so the team can maintain control over him for another year). He’s a great contact hitter with serious power potential, and while he’s started slowly at Triple-A this year, once Super 2 passes, this kid should get the call. Calhoun is arguably one of the best pure hitters in baseball that’s not currently in the majors, so stash him while you can.

Michael Kopech, SP, Chicago White Sox (ESPN: 7 per cent; CBS: 47 per cent): Boston’s first round pick in 2014, Kopech was dealt to the ChiSox in 2016 in the Chris Sale trade. Last year, Kopech stayed healthy and enjoyed a fine season, mostly at Double-A, before a late-season move to Triple-A. This year, he’s cut his ERA significantly early on at Triple-A, but the Pale Hose aren’t rushing to promote him. Still, your chance to stash him may soon end if he keeps racking up prodigious punchout numbers.

Tyler Anderson, SP, Colorado Rockies (ESPN: 12 per cent; CBS: 19 per cent): Note that Anderson had to come out of Friday’s game early with chest discomfort, so this recommendation is contingent upon him being healthy enough to take the bump for his next outing. The fact is, if you remove his first start of the season, his line is pretty damn impressive: four starts, 22 2/3 IP, 19 hits, seven runs (five earned), two homers, 10 walks, 24 strikeouts and a 1-0 record with a 1.99 ERA. Check the injury reports, and be ready to pounce if Anderson’s prognosis is good.

Addison Reed, RP, Minnesota Twins (ESPN: 12 per cent; CBS: 28 per cent): Reed has been scored on in two of his last three appearances, but is enjoying better hit rates in the early going. A 40-save man five years ago, his career seemed to stall in Arizona, but he’s been much better lately, and with Fernando Rodney stinking it up, it may just be a matter of time before Reed gets a chance to earn saves again.

Others to Consider

Jace Peterson, 2B, Baltimore Orioles (ESPN: 0.1 per cent; CBS: unowned): Peterson is the new flavour of the week at the keystone corner with Jonathan Schoop still at least a week and a half away. Now that Tim Beckham is out, too, Peterson should get plenty of PT.

Mike Fiers, SP, Detroit Tigers (ESPN: 3.6 per cent; CBS: 8 per cent): When he was at Triple-A, Fiers used the Saw theme as his walk-up music. How’s that for intimidating? His hit rate is a tad worrisome, but he’s pitched well in three of four outings.

Hector Santiago, RP, Chicago White Sox (ESPN: 0.2 per cent; CBS: 1 per cent): Now the long man for the ChiSox, he’s racking up lots of Ks and will likely get some spot starts, making him worth looking at in very deep AL-only leagues.

Dane Dunning, SP, Chicago White Sox (ESPN: NA; CBS: 4 per cent): Dunning was dominating High-A, so the White Sox bumped him up to Double-A, their first minor league promotion of the season. Dynasty league owners need to pay attention given his amazing command.

Brent Suter, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (ESPN: 2.1 per cent; CBS: 9 per cent): Suter has been decent in four of his six outings, and generated tons of foul balls against the Cubs on Friday, keeping them generally off balance. He’s pitched much better than his ERA suggests (3.80 FIP).

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

Based on the Michael Bond books, Paddington was a surprisingly charming and funny movie that audiences embraced when it released in late 2014. That level of success dictated a sequel be made, and director Paul King obliged with the release of Paddington 2 earlier this year. Now that it’s making its way to Blu-ray and DVD it’s time to see if the sequel can live up to its predecessor.

THE PLOT

Now a full-fledged member of the Brown family, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw; Q from the recent 007 films) is trying to find the perfect 100th birthday gift for his Aunt Lucy. He finds it in the form of an old pop-up book of London at the local antique shop. Unable to afford it, Paddington begins working as a window cleaner to earn the money necessary to purchase it.

Just as he saves enough to buy the book he stumbles across someone breaking into the store and stealing it. Paddington gives chase, but the thief escapes, and when the police arrive the only evidence they can find points the blame at the bear. He’s arrested, and his trial is presided over by a judge he mistakenly shaved during his time at a barber shop. In the end, Paddington is found guilty and sent to jail.

On the inside, Paddington’s kindness soon turns the prison into something much gentler, and he makes friends with many of the inmates, including Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson). Meanwhile, on the outside, Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins) work to prove Paddington’s innocence with the help of their kids. And their suspicions center on washed-up actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant).

THE GOOD

There’s a lot to like about Paddington 2, which took everything good about the original, polished it up and created a superior film. Probably its most endearing quality is its tone, which stays refreshingly lighthearted from start to finish. Paddington’s unwavering kindness in the face of any and all circumstances somehow never feels forced or hokey. It’s just who he is, who he always is, and even among modern “family fare” that’s pretty different.

Although no one will be brushing up any Academy speeches for their work, every character of note is given something important to do in the film where their interests or hobbies are needed to solve a problem. Grant is the human star, playing the self-important Phoenix to the hilt with a performance that just exudes fun. Yeah, he’s the villain, but at the end of the day he’s not really that bad of a guy.

For a film with basically no edge to it, Paddington 2 made us laugh repeatedly through its mix of slapstick comedy, deadpanning ridiculous situations and the endearing quality of Paddington — the transformation of the prison spawns plenty of funny moments, such as when he accidentally dyes their clothes pink. While you wouldn’t consider the CGI exceptional, the filmmakers did a tremendous job in humanizing Paddington so that it never distracts.

THE BAD

For what it is and the audience it’s targeting Paddington 2 doesn’t have any notable shortcomings.

THE BONUS FEATURES

Several brief videos make up Paddington 2’s bonus materials, some of which focus on individual characters (Knuckles, Phoenix) and others about the production. None of it is required viewing, but the featurette on the pop-up book being brought to life is likely the best of the lot. Phoenix’s short musical performance that shows during the credits is also among the extras.

OVERALL

Although we enjoyed the original, Paddington 2 is significantly better, proving even in our current jaded world that a wholesome, family-friendly movie can excel.

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re into late-April now, and perhaps the glut of rained out games that’s plagued MLB is now over. It’s time to dip into the waiver wire.

This week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has confirmed the idea that if the season is shortened, salaries will be cut as well; the Mets have sent struggling starter Matt Harvey to the bullpen; and Carlos Rodon is feeling good and hopes to return to the White Sox in about a month, so you might want to consider stashing him now.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball waiver wire recommendations, with plenty of options for those of you seeking rotation help.

Jason Hammel, SP, Kansas City Royals (ESPN: 2.9 per cent; CBS: 10 per cent): Tampa Bay’s 10th round pick in 2002 has enjoyed a pretty fine career, proving durable as a control specialist and generally, a No. 4 type starter. He got roughed up in his season debut, but has pitched much better since then, highlighted by a tough no-decision on Friday when he gave up just five hits and two runs over nine innings (which tied his career high). Over his last three starts, Hammel has only given up 16 hits and four runs in 20 IP with 13 Ks against four walks. He remains winless thanks to KC’s popgun attack, but with a 3.20 ERA and .235 BAA through 25 1/3 IP, he’s definitely worth adding. Hammel was on his game Friday, racking up 11 swinging strikes, the second time in four starts he’s hit double digits. At this rate, he could top his career high in innings pitched for the second straight season, and perhaps even reach 200 for the first time. Maybe Hammel can even provide some of that “rhythm” that the Royals need (see video below).

Bartolo Colon, SP/RP, Texas Rangers (ESPN: 8.3 per cent; CBS: 11 per cent): Speaking of veteran hurlers, few have anything on Colon, still chugging along at the age of 44. Splitting his duties between the pen and rotation, he’s been excellent in either role, most recently limiting the World Champion Astros to a single hit over 7 2/3 IP. Colon has no record yet, but his 0.70 WHIP, 1.45 ERA and superb K/BB rate scream for Fantasy attention. He barely tops 90 on the radar gun these days, but considering how crap he was last year, this latest renaissance is truly remarkable.

Homer Bailey, SP, Cincinnati Reds (ESPN: 5 per cent; CBS: 18 per cent): What is this, alumni week? We’re coming at you with a bunch of greybeard hurlers this week, but what can we say? The geriatric set has taken over! Cincy’s 2004 first rounder, a lost cause for most of the last three seasons, looks pretty good this season. In fact, he’s tossed quality outings in three of his four starts, putting up a pretty solid ERA despite a big goose egg in the win column. Maybe Bailey is simply healthy at last. It’s worth picking him up to find out.

Braden Shipley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks (ESPN: 0.1 per cent; CBS: 1 per cent): Hardly a grizzled veteran, Shipley still seems to have been knocking on the door for some time. Well, that opportunity may finally arrive now that Taijuan Walker has been lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. Shipley made the bigs last year, pitching in 10 games, mostly relief, but failing to earn a win. He’s begun the season at Triple-A and has shown better control and improved hit rates. Let’s see if this minor league vet can finally stick in the Show.

Quick Hits

Arizona pinch hitter Christian Walker’s first hit of the season, coming in the eighth inning on Friday, ensured that the Padres remain the only MLB team that has never recorded a no-hitter in their history.

Detroit outfielder JaCoby Jones is starting to heat up in a big way. He was 3-for-6 in Friday’s double header, scoring three runs and driving in three with a double, a triple and a walk-off home run. Jones also swiped a bag and now has seven hits in the last four games. Give him a look in AL-only leagues.

White Sox reliever Danny Farquhar passed out in the dugout Friday and went sent to hospital for testing. It turns out he suffered an aneurysm, leaving him in stable, but critical condition. Despite his ugly ERA, he’s pitched extremely well other than the homers allowed. Farquhar has not walked a batter and has a splendid 0.75 WHIP. Let’s hope he recovers quickly.

North Carolina high school outfielder Jordyn Adams keeps climbing the draft boards. Perhaps he won’t head off and play college football after all. KC, with four picks in the top 40, may gamble on trying to lure him to baseball.

Rookie reliever Brad Keller got off to a fine start for the Royals, but now has a blown save and loss over his last three appearances. For a while, it looked like he was working his way into high leverage situations, recording his first hold just over a week ago.

Finally, something can stop Angels’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani — major league baseballs. A blister, possibly caused by the seams on major league balls, forced him out early in his last start on Tuesday. Still, Ohtani has a 0.80 WHIP through 15 IP and is getting on base at a .390 clip through 10 games as a hitter.

Back to the June draft, California HS SS Brice Turang, a preseason American Family Insurance All-USA player, remains on track to be a first round pick. His father Brian played two seasons as a utility man for the Mariners.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

Given what the God of War franchise meant to Sony during the PS2 and, to a lesser extent thanks to the rise of Uncharted, PS3 eras, it’s remarkable that the PlayStation 4 has gone four-plus years without an original entry in one of its signature series. That all changes this week when Sony Santa Monica finally continues Kratos‘ tale, some eight years after the launch of God of War III.

CONTROLS (4.75/5)

While the spirit of the earlier games flows through the new God of War, it has seen wholesale changes in some areas and at least tweaks in most others. Rather that wielding his iconic Blades of Chaos, Kratos now favours a magical axe known as Leviathan, which can be used for both melee and ranged attacks — he can recall the blade after throwing it like Thor does with Mjolnir.

It was a bold move to part Kratos from his blades, but Leviathan is masterfully designed and able to dish out all manner of pain to your enemies. You’ll use it alongside a deployable shield, both of which are upgradable with new combos that eventually create a deep well of options to use. A pair of runes can be faceted into the blade as well, granting powerful strikes that operate on a cooldown timer and feel similar to magic in the older games.

An ever bigger change, however, is that Kratos no longer fights alone. His son, Atreus, is by his side, primarily using his bow to pepper enemies with shafts. As you upgrade his equipment and abilities he becomes a worthy complement, distracting foes while dealing stun and elemental damage. In addition, his rune summons can be a valuable asset in the heat of battle.

Also gone is the static camera that’d been one of the series’ trademarks, giving way to a fully controllable view. What’s impressive about the switch is that it changes everything yet combat retains the God of War feel via smart enemy positioning and mixing, creating the same hectic vibe of facing off against multiple dangerous foes that the older games did so well. Spinning can be a little disorienting, particularly when using the quick 180-degree turn, but you’ll learn to adapt.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (5/5)

Freed from the restrictions of fixed views and also moving from Greek to Norse mythology, Sony Santa Monica has created a diverse and beautiful world. It isn’t fully open, but it’s still night and day compared to the highly regimented nature of past GoW titles where “hidden” chests meant finding a small path that triggered a different camera angle.

There’s something addicting about the realms of Midgar, and we were compelled to explore every possible pathway for chests and collectibles. Enemy design and diversity is excellent, and once again the change in mythologies allows for an entirely new group of gods and monsters. Running on the PS4 Pro, God of War comfortably slots in as one of the best-looking console games to date.

While the previous GoW games had solid vocal performances, this God of War is light years beyond its predecessors when it comes to emotional weight and three-dimensional character development.

SSM’s decision to move Kratos from the remorseless Ghost of Sparta to conflicted father could’ve backfired, but it’s deftly handled. Atreus delivers as well and is an effective Ellie to Kratos’ Joel. An epic soundtrack is the cherry on top of a dynamic presentation.

GAMEPLAY (5/5)

God of War starts with Kratos gathering wood to build a funeral pyre for his wife, who wanted him and their son Atreus to gather her ashes and scatter them from the highest mountain in the realm. It’s unclear how much time has passed since Kratos laid waste to Mount Olympus, but he has a strained relationship with his son.

Despite feeling that Atreus is not yet ready to take on the quest, Kratos has his hand forced when an unknown intruder shows up at their door with knowledge of the Spartan’s past — something he has hidden from his son. With his home no longer safe the erstwhile God of War strikes out with Atreus to fulfill his wife’s dying wish.

In an abundance of caution we won’t discuss the storyline further, but suffice to say it’s by far the most emotionally mature and nuanced the series has ever been. It’s also considerably meatier, offering a campaign that may be longer than the original trilogy combined, depending on how many of the side quests and other activities you partake in.

To that end Sony Santa Monica has really upped its game, allowing you to find, craft and upgrade numerous armour pieces, talismans and more graded on varying degrees of rareness. Each one has unique properties across six attributes so that you can mold Kratos’ strengths based on your style. Said pieces can also be augmented with enchantments, and you’ll need to collect rare items along with in-game currency to beef up the better sets.

While legendary armour is a great incentive to complete secondary activities, it’s by no means the only one. The game is constantly tracking what you’ve done — types of enemies killed, specific attacks, lore found, etc. — and rewarding you with experience, which is then used to learn new combos and unlock more powerful versions of runic attacks.

All of that does lead to one potential drawback: Kratos can feel overpowered on the normal difficulty setting if you invest the time to really build him up. There are still challenging fights to be sure, but the toughest ones tend to take place away from the main storyline with rewards that make you even more powerful. As such, series veterans might want to try the third setting from the get go.

OVERALL (5/5)

In an industry that often plays it safe, Sony Santa Monica took a successful franchise back to the drawing board and wound up improving it in almost every way imaginable. God of War is simply a brilliant game that everyone should experience.

Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. We’re into mid-April now, so there’s no need to panic if you’re off to a sluggish start. There are plenty of goodies on the wire to help you make a move.

This week, Derek Jeter opted to skip the trip to New York for his team’s series against the Yanks, saying it would be “awkward” for him to go; Nolan Arenado and Luis Perdomo have each earned five-game suspensions for their role in Wednesday’s brawl; and Dinelson Lamet needs Tommy John surgery (see more below), thereby ending his season.

And now, let’s get to this week’s Fantasy baseball waiver wire picks…

Brian Johnson, SP/RP Boston Red Sox (ESPN: 1.2 per cent; CBS: 8 per cent): Johnson began the season in the BoSox rotation and did nothing to lose his spot (hurling six innings of one-run ball for the win in his only start). However, the return of a couple of other starters pushed the lefty to the pen, where he had one rough outing but has rebounded with two sparkling multi-inning games on back-to-back days. Now, with David Price getting pushed back a day for precautionary reasons, Johnson will slot back into the rotation for a spot start on Monday against the Orioles. Johnson looks like a sneaky DFS play, although his innings may be capped. Given an opportunity, he could top out as a decent fourth starter with solid command. With a 2.70 ERA through 10 innings of work so far, Johnson bears watching. Speaking of watching, check out his impressive work with the bat in the video below.

Forrest Whitley, SP, Houston Astros (ESPN: NA; CBS: 22 per cent): Yes, Whitley will serve a 50-game drug suspension to begin his minor league season. But if you don’t think he’s a good stash for the second half, you haven’t been paying attention. He’s the fifth high school pitcher to reach Double-A in his first full professional season over the last 20 years. The others? Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Dylan Bundy and Chad Billingsley. Expect Whitley to return to Double-A when the suspension is up, but he won’t last there long. He will be a factor in Houston after the break.

Dillon Tate, SP, New York Yankees (ESPN: 0.1 per cent; CBS: 4 per cent): Another forward looking recommendation, Tate could easily play a role for the Yanks in the second half. The righty was dominant in his season debut at Double-A, striking out nearly a batter per frame while doing a splendid job of inducing groundballs. Tate may find himself outgrowing this level fairly quickly now that he’s back to his pre-draft form that made him the fourth overall pick in 2015.

Raimel Tapia, OF, Colorado Rockies (ESPN: 0.6 per cent; CBS: 6 per cent): We recommended Tapia in early July, and it was a decent short-term pick as he scored a few runs in July before his extra-base pop went AWOL in August. He finished strong, but didn’t have enough PT in September to be a factor. Back at Triple-A this season, Tapia looks like he’s going to force his way back to the bigs very soon, averaging over a run per game and flashing much improved power numbers. Yes, he had a stinker on Friday (0-for-5, three strikeouts), but this kid’s power-speed-average potential is through the roof. If you have room to stash him, do so.

Francisco Cervelli, C, Pittsburgh Pirates (ESPN: 18.5 per cent; CBS: 43 per cent): Obviously, this veteran backstop will need plenty of rest — especially given his propensity to get hurt in recent years. However, Cervelli can still hit, as evidenced by six base knocks in his last three games, including a pair of dingers and seven RBI. Yes, we all know he’s injury prone, but when he’s raking like this, you’ve got to grab him and take advantage while you can.

Tyson Ross, SP, San Diego Padres (ESPN: 3.1 per cent; CBS: 15 per cent): Ross hurled his finest game of the season on Friday, giving up just one unearned run over six innings for the win. With news that Lamet is done for the season, Ross’ rotation spot just got a hell of a lot safer, and now that Ross is back to the site of his finest seasons, his ERA has responded. With a 3.50 mark through three starts, Ross is at his best since 2013-15 with the Padres, when he rattled off marks of 3.17, 2.81 and 3.26 while pitching almost exclusively as a starter.

Quick Hits

St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko (hamstring) will start a rehab assignment shortly. Depending on how things shake out, he may qualify at second and shortstop as well, providing some great roster flexibility and a solid bat to your Fantasy squad.

For the second time in three starts, new Cub “ace” Yu Darvish was kicked around pretty convincingly on Friday. He gave up a season-high nine hits and four walks while surrendering a dinger for the third straight outing. Don’t worry, Cubs’ fans, you only have him for six years.

Francisco Liriano has looked pretty sharp so far for Detroit with a 0.95 WHIP in his first two starts. Just be careful using him against the Yankees on Sunday, assuming they can play the game, which is just another reason to skip this outing for our purposes.

So, $14 million closer Greg Holland is now with the Cards, but when the first save opportunity since his arrival transpired on Friday, who came in? Bud Norris. Um, okay. Good thing we invested in Luke Gregerson, right? Colour us confused about the Cardinal closer situation. The job will be Holland’s in time, but right now, toss a dart at the board when it comes to figuring out who will toe the rubber in the ninth.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite Fantasy baseball waiver wire pick of the week is.

After veering back to the past with last year’s Yakuza 0, SEGA is returning the series to the present day with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which continues the journey of longtime protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. It’s been more than two years since we last saw Kiryu-san left beaten and bloodied in the snow, so we’re well past due to check in on the fate of the Fourth Chairman. Hisashiburi…

CONTROLS (3.75/5)

Easily the most disappointing aspect of Yakuza 6 is that the combat advances made in Yazuka 0 have been cast aside. Whereas the latter featured two playable characters with three distinct combat styles they could switch to at will, Song of Life features only a single approach that never sees any meaningful change from start to finish.

Sure, you’ll earn experience and purchase upgrades, which include some new combos and situation-specific heat gauge attacks, but they don’t alter the basic encounters. In fact, we settled into a pretty standard approach when fighting non-boss enemies: punch one, grab a hold of him and throw him into his friends. Then, while they’re staggered, pick up a weapon and start smashing them with it or kick them while they’re down. Rinse and repeat.

There are still fun moments, usually related to some particularly brutal heat-gauge attack such as when Kiryu sticks a blade in an enemy’s stomach and then buries it deep with a well-placed knee, but it’s an inarguable step back to go from six fighting styles to one. The series’ usual mix of mini games (batting cages, karaoke, darts and so on) return as well, all of which handle capably.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4.25/5)

With Yakuza 6 marking the series’ debut title made exclusively for the PS4 it’s no surprise that this is its best looking game to date. The districts of Kamurocho (located in Tokyo) and Onomichi (Hiroshima) are very different — Kamurocho is slathered in neon lights and things to do, whereas the sleepy Onomichi is a quiet town — and shuttling back and forth provides the game with some needed variety.

Cut scenes have always looked good, and they look even better with the power of the PS4 behind them, though the game’s frequent transitions between full CGI and in-game engine (where you can manually advance the dialogue) for many of the lengthy expositions feels a little outdated. The game runs smoother as well, transitioning seamlessly from walking the streets to skirmishes with thugs and anonymous yakuza.

As always the entirety of the game’s vocal performances are in Japanese so we’re ignorant to the substance of the work, but the tone and delivery always seem spot on even if some of the translations seem kind of silly. The music is fine, as are the sound effects.

GAMEPLAY (4/5)

While recovering from injuries sustained at the end of Yakuza 5, Kazuma Kiryu is arrested and spends three years in prison as a result. The Song of Life picks up as Kiryu finishes up his sentence and returns to his Sunflower Oprhange only to discover that Haruka, who he has looked after like a daughter, has disappeared.

In an attempt to locate Haruka, Kiryu travels back to Kamurocho. Once there he quickly learns that she suffered grievous injuries as part of a hit-and-run car accident and is now comatose. There’s an even bigger surprise for Kiryu, however, as he’s introduced to Haruka’s son, Haruto. Rather than allow child services to place him in a foster home, Kiryu takes Haruto and travels to Onomichi in hopes of locating the father and discovering details of the “accident.”

It’s a good story with plenty of Yakuza’s usual intrigue and serves as a worthwhile sendoff to Kiryu after seven installments (assuming this is indeed his swan song). It doesn’t last as long as some of the other games in the series with the main storyline around 20 hours, but that’s padded out with the usual assortment of bizarre side quests and mini games, as well as trouble missions and all-new Clan Creator, so you can easily add another 10-plus hours.

Clan Creator is the most significant addition, putting Kiryu in charge of a gang and having them do battle with JUSTIS, a vigilante group gone bad. It’s packaged as a basic real-time strategy setup as you deploy bosses, each with their unique ability like healing skills or powerful strikes, to go along with basic units.

As you progress you’ll encounter new special units that you recruit by defeating in traditional one-on-one fights. Experience gained for clan battles levels up your lieutenants, and boosts can change based on how your arrange your hierarchy. Still, much like the usual combat, there’s an approach that works nearly without fail so advancement is pretty easy.

Beyond that, Yakuza 6 is content to play the series’ greatest hits, pushing its odd blend of heavy exposition, fighting game combat and the always-odd side quests. Other than the streamlined battles there’s nothing to really sell new players on, but those that have followed Kiryu should come away feeling satisfied.

OVERALL (4/5)

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life isn’t the best the series has been, particularly its combat, but the compelling story and cast of characters kept us engaged from start to finish.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue is a bit of the forgotten cousin of Ubisoft’s flagship series. Launched in conjunction with Unity, Rogue was built on the Black Flag engine as a transition game for Xbox 360 / PS3 gamers who hadn’t upgraded yet to the current generation of consoles. Because of that, everything about Rogue Remastered feels familiar — except for the premise. That alone makes it worth re-visiting for die-hard series fans.

CONTROLS (3.5/5)

Assassin’s Creed is known for many things — in-depth environments, cool ways to stab people, a storyline that rivals Metal Gear in convolution. And up until the most recent Origins, the series has been known for its extremely clunky parkour/environment controls.

Built on the Black Flag engine, Rogue is several iterations behind, which means that the controls fit squarely into the series span behind the defining Assassin’s Creed 2 and Black Flag (starting with Unity, more gradual control changes found their way into the game).

For the uninitiated, Rogue’s controls will feel dated and somewhat strange, with all sorts of contextual button maps and combat based on timing rather than slash-and-defend (like Origins). For longtime series veterans, Rogue will feel like riding a bike, albeit a somewhat clunky one with squeaky wheels.

No one’s gonna argue that the series’ controls at the stage were great, but they are what they are, and since Rogue will most likely appeal as a missed release to AC fans, there should be a certain comfort in that — particularly for fans of the series’ naval battles.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4/5)

As Rogue came late in the PS3/Xbox 360 cycle, its graphics are natively a tad bit better than the earlier entries in the series. If you put a side-by-side comparison with the original game and this remastered version, however, you’re not going to see much of a difference other than slightly more detail in the lighting and environment effects.

As the game takes place in many of the similar colonial-America geography as Assassin’s Creed 3, the overall visuals are fairly reminiscent of that game, though it does extend further north to icy arctic environments (an area where you can see the snow effects are markedly improved over the original game).

GAMEPLAY (3.5/5)

Rogue is both familiar and different for the Assassin’s Creed series. It feels like the game you played for more than five years, and it has elements similar to Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed 3 — most notably, the naval battles, which have been such a series highlight that Ubisoft is giving it its own spinoff game.

So while the mechanics feel familiar, the game is inverted because Rogue features you controlling Shay Cormac, someone who chooses to leave the Assassin Brotherhood behind in order to join the Templars.

How does that change things? While some goals are standard series fare (eavesdrop, follow, break-in), there are also moments where you’ll be averting attempted assassinations rather than planning them. This is fun simply because it’s different, and in the way that villain narratives try to humanize their experience, you do get to see the Templar perspective.

At the same time, there are small nuances, such as weapons unique to this particular game. As the environment pushes further north, elements such as crushing snowstorms (which are much harsher than AC3) give it a different flavour.

That being said, the game is overall less dense than main series entries, especially since Syndicate and Origins pushed the envelope in what it contains outside of the main story. As such, Rogue can feel like a $20 add-on to Black Flag rather than a standalone full-price game.

Still, if you’re the type of fan that played only the main story, you’ll get a good 15-20 hours out of this while enriching the series’ overall lore.

OVERALL (3.75/5)

While not a must-have, Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered brings a reliable-though-dated functional formula and dresses it up with the Templar perspective. It’s not as deep as some, but die-hard fans should find it a fun play that is worth their time and money.